


Cause I've Searched My Soul

by Obsessivecompulsivereadr



Category: Glee
Genre: Blaine and Klaine Unfriendly, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2017-11-16 18:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 87,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessivecompulsivereadr/pseuds/Obsessivecompulsivereadr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt was so tired of pretending that Blaine was perfect.  “Pretty pretty please, don’t you ever ever feel... like you’re less than…less than perfect,” he sang softly to himself.</p><p>AU after "Heart" episode.  Kurt does some thinking after Dave's confession on Valentine's night, and he makes some changes in his relationships, and his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Blaine and Klaine Unfriendliness -- This story tends to really irritate Blaine Anderson fans, and it's the story that got me the most complaints on ffnet. However, unlike "Of Bear Cubs," there is no change to Blaine's previous canon behaviors. The difference here is that I've written Kurt's reactions to them differently than how he perceives them in canon.

Kurt sat in his Navigator and stared at the collection of valentines on the passenger seat.  He picked up one of them, opened the card, and reread it.  “ _You make my heart sing_.”  He brushed his fingers over the words and glanced over at the box of candy.  “ _The butterscotch ones are my favorites_.” 

Wow.  David Karofsky.  He hadn’t seen that coming. 

The entire week, he’d assumed all the cards, the balloon, the stuffed animal, everything, had been from Blaine.  He leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. 

Now that he knew differently, he should have expected that it wasn’t his boyfriend.  Blaine didn’t do romantic.  Kurt had known that from the beginning of their relationship.  Well, actually from before that since they weren’t even together last Valentine’s Day when Blaine had announced that he was bad at romance. 

Of course, he was.  Blaine didn’t do romantic because he did showmanship.  Why give Kurt a sweet card when he could sing a flashy song to him in front of a crowd?

That wasn’t fair, Kurt admonished himself.  And not accurate since the song wasn’t even _to_ him.  It was for everyone in the room.  Not that Kurt didn’t adore Love Shack, but it wasn’t exactly his idea of romance. 

Kurt was just as much a fan of showmanship.  But Blaine knew Kurt wanted romance.  He’d also known that since before they’d gotten together.  Back when Blaine criticized Kurt’s sexy faces, he’d confessed that he was more interested in romance than just sex.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want sex.  He was a teenage male.  Of course, he wanted sex.  But he didn’t want _just_ sex. 

He should have told David how much he’d wanted to call him too.  After Scandals.  He hadn’t wanted to call David for the same reason Dave had wanted to call him.  He’d wanted to stay in touch with him as friends.  But when he’d mentioned it to his boyfriend, Blaine had reacted badly. 

He’d told Kurt that he would have been leading David on.  That he shouldn’t do that until David came out.  That he would just end up causing drama in David’s life.  Drama David didn’t need.

So even though David Karofsky’s phone number had been in his phone since that night at Scandals, he’d never used it.  And he should have. 

Kurt laughed at the irony of Blaine’s comment about leading David on.  Months of Sebastian blatantly coming on to Blaine, and his boyfriend hadn’t flatly rejected him once.  Not directly and to his face. 

Oh, he complained about Sebastian’s gall when he was alone with Kurt, but it never occurred to him to just tell Sebastian to stay away from him once and for all.  That sounded more like leading someone on than anything Kurt could have ever done to David.

Kurt had hoped that Blaine had something else planned for Valentine’s Day when they left the Sugar Shack.  Prior to popping into the restaurant to sing, Blaine hadn’t talked to Kurt in two days.  His brother had come home for a visit, and they were getting in some brotherly bonding time. 

Which was fine with Kurt.  But he wasn’t even invited over to meet Blaine’s brother.  Not yet anyway.  And it hadn’t escaped Kurt’s notice that while he was too injured to attend school during the week, since recovering from eye surgery obviously affected one’s ability to walk and talk and sing flirty ballads, he hadn’t been too injured to stay home.  He’d been out with his brother all week.

Blaine was still uncomfortable with Kurt being at his house when his family was there.  Why, he couldn’t answer.  So, Blaine’s father still hated the idea of Kurt, but why couldn’t Blaine bring his brother to Kurt if he didn’t want Kurt going to his house? 

That idea had been rejected too.  So Kurt spent the week of Valentine’s Day alone.  Thinking that his boyfriend was romancing him.  When he hadn’t been. 

And the final insult was that when they’d gotten to Blaine’s house afterwards, his parents and brother safely out of the house for a dinner, all Blaine had for him for the holiday was an empty house to have sex in.  Yeah, there had been music, but with Blaine in his life, there was always music.  But there had been no sex because, by then, Kurt wasn’t in the mood. 

Then he tried to convince Kurt to have sex with him by bringing up the slushie.  He’d been joking, at least Kurt hoped he had been joking.  But if he had to hear one more time how selfless it was for Blaine to take that slushie for him, he’d fucking slushie Blaine himself.

Over the past few weeks, Blaine had gone from coyly hinting about it to obnoxiously reminding him how that slushie had been meant for Kurt.  And at the time Blaine had stepped in front of it, in Blaine’s mind, it was a harmless slushie.  Now, it was as if Blaine had taken a bullet for him.  Sure, he said he was joking each time he brought it up, but it was getting annoying.

And he had to bite his tongue to remind Blaine that if he hadn’t stepped in front of Kurt, the slushie would have most likely hit him on the chest.  Since quite obviously, Kurt was a bit taller than his boyfriend.  Which then would not have resulted in a rock-salt damaged cornea surgery. 

Yes, he’d been furious with Sebastian about throwing the slushie, but that was probably a product of how much he hated Sebastian. 

Yes, he was sorry that Blaine had needed eye surgery after the slushie.  Even though it wasn’t his fault that he’d gotten slushied, he still felt sorry that it had happened.

Although, if Blaine had dropped Sebastian on his ass from the beginning, when he should have, then none of the aforementioned things would have happened in the first place.

He was so tired of pretending that Blaine was perfect.  “ _Pretty pretty please, don’t you ever ever feel... like you’re less than…less than perfect_ ,” he sang softly to himself.

Kurt looked out the window and realized he’d been sitting in Blaine’s driveway for at least twenty minutes.  Just thinking.  And the more he thought about it, the angrier he seemed to get.  So the thinking needed to stop.  He was with Blaine.  He was with Blaine, and he’d pretend his boyfriend was perfect.  After all, all Kurt’s girl friends thought he was. 

He reached over and opened the box of candy, grabbed a butterscotch one, and popped it into his mouth.  He lifted the upper level of candy, just checking out the rest of his choices, and underneath was a CD.  Marked _For Kurt_. 

He popped it into his CD player, and let it start automatically.

_Hi Kurt._

It was Dave’s voice. 

_“As I’m recording this, I already know what your answer is going to be.  I think I knew it before I started this whole crazy scheme.  And that’s okay.  I just needed to tell you how I feel, because, honestly, I need the practice.  I’m not very good at emotions, as you probably remember.”_

And then a small, quiet laugh.

_“I also know how much you love music.  And I knew that singing to you in person wouldn’t have been appreciated.  And it would have been terrifying, honestly, because you have that effect on me sometimes.”_

Kurt smiled at David’s words.

_“So even if you punch eject on your CD player, or god forbid, never even listen to this, I had to let you know.  You probably think I’m selfish for doing all this to you.  Forcing you to let me down easily.  At least I hope you ended up letting me down easy.  I knew you’d choose Prep School.  But I would have never forgiven myself if I didn’t tell you everything I told you tonight.  Or everything I hope to tell you.  And I think you’re smiling right now because you just realized that I knew something about you before you did.  So take that.”_

That laugh again.

Kurt was smiling, and he laughed right along with David’s voice.

_“So here goes.  And is it totally gay that I’m about to sing you an Nsync song?  Well, whatever.  If it is, then it is.”_

Oh dear god.  David was going to sing it?  Kurt wasn’t sure he could handle this development.

_I just don't understand_

_Why you're running from a good man baby_

_Why you wanna turn your back on love_

_Why you've already given up_

_See, I know you've been hurt before_

_But I swear I'll give you so much more_

_I swear I'll never let you down_

_Cause I swear it's you that I adore_

_And I can't help myself babe_

_Cause I think about you constantly_

_and my heart gets no rest over you_

_You can call me selfish_

_But all I want is your love_

_You can call me hopeless, baby_

_Cause I'm hopelessly in love_

_You can call me unperfect_

_But who's perfect?_

_Tell me what do I gotta do_

_To prove that I'm the only one for you_

_What's wrong with being selfish?_

_I'll be taking up your time_

_Until the day I make you realize_

_That for you there could be no one else_

_I just gotta have you for myself_

_Baby I would take good care of you_

_No matter what it is you're going through_

_I'll be there for you when you're in need_

_Baby believe in me_

_If love is a crime_

_Then punish me_

_I would die for you_

_Cause I don't want to live without you_

_Oh what can I do?_

_You can call me selfish_

_But all I want is your love_

_You can call me hopeless, baby_

_Cause I'm hopelessly in love_

_You can call me unperfect_

_But who's perfect?_

_Tell me what do I gotta do_

_To prove that I'm the only one for you_

_Why do you keep us apart_

_Why won't you give up your heart_

_You know that we're meant to be together_

_Why do you push me away_

_All that I want is to give you love_

_Forever and ever and ever and ever_

_You can call me selfish_

_But all I want is your love_

_You can call me hopeless, baby_

_Because I'm hopelessly in love_

_You can call me unperfect_

_But who's perfect?_

_Tell me what do I gotta do_

_To prove that I'm the only one for you_

_Selfishly I'm in love with you_

_Cause I've searched my soul_

_and know that it's you_

_Selfishly I'm in love with you_

_Cause I've searched my soul_

_and know that it's you_

_Selfishly I'm in love with you_

_Cause I've searched my soul_

_and know that it's you.._

_To prove that I'm the only one for you_

_So what's wrong with being selfish..._

_So what's wrong with being selfish..._

 

Kurt had needed to pull off the road by the first chorus.  He leaned his head back again and closed his eyes, listening to David’s voice.  It was beautiful.  David could croon, that’s for sure.  It made him even sadder to know that he’d missed hearing this voice in person.  David’s voice was gorgeous, and the inner performer in Kurt couldn’t help but wonder if he’d joined his school’s version of Glee club.

He looked back down at the rest of the valentines on the seat.  He’d managed to hide them from Blaine when they’d gone back to Blaine’s house.   At the time, he’d had no idea why he hadn’t told Blaine about them.  Well, he had somewhat of an idea why.  He just wasn’t sure he liked what the reason made him feel like.

It was because Blaine would call them cute.  And then he’d brush them aside as if the feelings behind them meant nothing. 

And they didn’t.  They’d meant something to David.  And they’d meant something to Kurt.

What _was_ wrong with being selfish sometimes?  Sometimes when it felt like the entire world was out to get him, shouldn’t he have the right to be selfish sometimes?  Why did Kurt always have to bend so that Blaine wouldn’t break?

Kurt texted Blaine a warning that he was coming back to talk.  And then he turned the Navigator around and headed back to Blaine’s house.  He got there faster than he expected, and parked.  He ran to Blaine’s door and knocked on it. 

Blaine answered the door, his cell phone at his ear.  He gestured for Kurt to come in but continued his conversation. 

“Look Seb, I can’t make it.  I have to go.  Kurt’s here.”

He was talking to Sebastian again?  Really?  After the _slushie-gone-wrong_ , he was still talking to Sebastian?  He’d mentioned vaguely one day that Sebastian had apologized to him for the incident, and he said he’d forgiven him. 

Ironic.  He forgave Sebastian so easily, but he constantly disapproved of Kurt forgiving David.

Blaine hit end on his phone and dropped it into his pocket.  He was still pissed about not getting sex, Kurt could tell.  And it wasn’t the first time Blaine had been pissed about not getting sex.

“I want to break up, Blaine.”

Blaine’s mouth dropped open.  “Geez, is this all about how lousy I am at Valentine’s Day, Kurt?”

“No.  It’s more than that.  It’s about things you disapprove of that I do, and yet you do the same thing yourself.  It’s about you expecting things of me that you aren’t willing to give yourself.  It’s about you criticizing me and not seeing the faults in yourself.  It’s about you being selfish and always expecting me not to be.  It’s about a lot of things, Blaine.”

“What the hell?” Blaine stared at him.

“You can take this however you want.  This time, I’m doing something for myself.  I’m tired of waiting around for you to figure out that I’m important to you.  I’ve done that throughout this whole relationship, and I’m tired.  I’m tired of wanting more that you aren’t willing to give.”

“Kurt, what is this about?”

“It’s about needing the right song for me.  Not the right song for the moment.”

“You’re not making sense,” Blaine replied angrily.

“I know.  But I’m making sense for me.  You figure out what you need with Sebastian.  Obviously, he means more to you than you’re willing to admit.  And that’s okay.  Cause I’m going to figure some things out for myself.  But that doesn’t mean that _I’m_ calling this a break.  I’m making this official.”

Kurt leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.  “I have to go.  I’m sorry.”

“Kurt, wait!” Blaine shouted, but Kurt was already on his way to the Navigator.

Kurt started his car and backed out of Blaine’s driveway. 

And drove to David’s house, his hands trembling on the steering wheel.  Geez, this was nerve-wracking.  Was this how David had felt all week?

He pulled into the Karofsky driveway, and sat for a few minutes.  He took a few deep breaths, and then got out of the car.  He walked slowly, his footsteps almost like a cadence, up to the door and rang the doorbell. 

David answered.  Which was good, since he wasn’t sure what he would say if it had been Mr. Karofsky that had answered.

Kurt had to laugh at the astonished look on David’s face.  It wasn’t quite as adorable as the look on his face when he’d taken off the gorilla mask.  But it was close. 

“Okay, since you’re speechless, this will be easier.  Don’t talk.”  Kurt held up his hand.

David nodded slowly.

“I found the CD just a little while ago.  You sing beautifully by the way, but you know I’d have to lead in with that.  I decided that being selfish isn’t a bad thing sometimes.  And I broke up with Blaine.  But not for you.  For me.  I do want to be friends with you.  I want to get to know the David that I saw tonight.  The David that spent all week making me happy.  And I’d like to give you a chance.  But not right away.  I need time, and you deserve more than being a rebound boyfriend.  You deserve to be selfish too.”

“Kurt,” David’s voice sounded strangled.

“Shh.  I’m trying to be responsible here.  I do want to give you a chance, but I need time to process this. Can we step inside for a moment?”

David held the door open and let Kurt into the living room. 

“How did you know where I live?”

“I’m a stalker.  Seriously, this was established in sophomore year, David,” Kurt laughed.

Kurt looked around to see if Mr. Karofsky was home. 

“He’s not here,” David replied to his unasked question.

Kurt tilted his head up, his hands cupping either side of David’s face.  He brushed his lips against David’s gently, kissing him softly.

“Will you wait for _me_ , this time?”

David nodded again.  He seemed to be in shock, which made Kurt feel like laughing again.

“Good, _because_ ” Kurt sang softly to him, “ _I’ve searched my soul, and I know that it’s you_.” 

David closed his eyes and gave another strangled moan. 

“Thank you, David.  I’ll call you.  We can hang out.  Take this slow.”  He ducked back outside as he spoke. 

“Okay.” David held the door open again and watched Kurt leave.

“I have to go.  But one more thing,” Kurt walked backwards toward his Navigator.

“What?” David grinned.

“The butterscotch ones are my favorite too.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt woke the next morning feeling sure that he should be crying.  But he wasn’t.  And he had a feeling that meant something. 

The look on Blaine’s face when Kurt had broken up with him hadn’t been a look of pain.  He’d been outraged, or at least he’d done a good job of feigning outrage.  Kurt was sure Blaine would look at this as a ripe opportunity to get into Sebastian’s pants.  Kurt should be angry at that idea, but he wasn’t.

They both should have been more upset about it than they seemed to be.  Well, he’d give it some time.  There was nothing like a drawn out period of self-realization and blame to bring the mourner out in him.

Kurt rubbed his eyes and stared at the ceiling. 

Now, to talk to his father.  Burt Hummel would not be enthusiastic about the idea of Kurt being friends with David.  If he could manage to juggle this, David might not get killed.

But Kurt didn’t have a good history with juggling.  He actually kind of sucked at it. 

Kurt looked over at the clock.  6:03 am.  That was almost sleeping late for him.  He grabbed his phone off the table and scrolled his contacts list until he found David’s name.

**From Kurt:  Morning.  Got a question.  How much are you okay with my dad knowing?**

**From David:  Hey.  Morning to you too.  How much does he already know?**

**From Kurt:  Nothing.**

**From David:  Nothing?**

Well, he couldn’t really blame David for disbelieving that.  He’d told Blaine about it, so maybe it made sense that David would think he’d told others. 

**From Kurt:  I told you that I wouldn’t tell anyone else.  I’m sorry I told Blaine.  But after him, I told nobody else.**

**From David:  Oh.  How much do you want to tell him?**

**From Kurt:  I’ll leave that up to you.  But I’d rather say nothing than lie about it.  But if I say nothing, he won’t trust me later.**

He’d rather not give his father any reason to distrust his decision to be friends with David.  Especially if there was potential for there to be more between them in the future. 

**From David:  That’s true.  Go ahead.  Tell him everything.  Whatever you need to do to keep him from killing me. ;)**

**From Kurt:  LOL Okay.  Give me a few days to calm Dad down before we hang out.**

**From David:   That doesn’t sound good.**

**From Kurt:  You’ll be fine.  I locked his shotgun up about a year ago. LOL**

**From David:  That’s not funny, Kurt.**

**From Kurt:  Yes, it is.  TTYL**

Kurt tossed his phone on the bed and got up. He hurried through his morning routine so that he could get downstairs and talk to his father.  He dressed a little less himself than usual.  Nothing drastic.  Nothing like flannel and baggy jeans.  But he decided on something less flashy today. 

His dad was leaning against the kitchen counter sipping coffee while Carole fluttered around it cooking breakfast.  Kurt paused at the door and watched them together.  His dad was watching Carole, and she wasn’t even aware of it.  They were so cute together. 

He and Finn would be on their own soon, and Dad and Carole would be moving to Washington, DC.  He couldn’t think of anyone else better suited for taking care of his dad while they lived there and his father began his career as a Congressional Representative. 

Kurt cleared his throat, and his father looked over and smiled at him. 

“Do you two have some time to talk this morning?” Kurt came smiling into the room and sat at the table. 

“Sure.  What’s up, buddy?” Burt sat across from him and held his coffee cup in front of him. 

Kurt got up and poured himself a cup of coffee, adding flavored creamer to it before sitting back down in front of him.  “A lot is up, actually.”

Carole turned from the stove and looked at him, “Good or bad?”

“A combination I guess,” he admitted before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Go ahead,” Burt gestured for him to continue.

“Well, I’m not sure where to start actually.  But Blaine and I broke up last night.” 

His father’s eyes widened in surprise.  And Carole gasped from behind him. 

“Why?” Carole looked at him carefully.  “And why aren’t you more upset about this?” 

He smiled at her.  Leave her to see things only a mother could see. 

“Well, things haven’t been going well for a while.  I tried to ignore it.  But some signs are just so big and in-your-face that you just can’t go around pretending that you don’t see them.” Kurt shrugged at her.

“Like?” Burt asked.

“Well, that depends on how much you want to know, honestly.  You know.  About things that _matter_.” 

Kurt purposely used words similar to those his father used during the big talk about sex.  That way, he could give his father a way out of the discussion before things got too uncomfortable.

Burt nodded and took a deep breath.  It was kind of funny how uncomfortable his father was talking about sex.  Not unlike most other parents, he was sure.  But most parents in Lima didn’t have to deal with the issues that Burt did. 

Burt closed his eyes, and Kurt laughed softly. 

“Okay.  I can do this,” his dad answered finally.

Carole snorted behind her husband and muttered, “Wimp.”

“Dad, seriously.  I can talk to Carole about it if you want.” Kurt smiled, offering to put him out of his misery.  It might be a better idea anyway since Carole was less likely to want to inflict bodily harm against Blaine or David.

“No, I’m good.  Go ahead.”  Burt finished off his coffee in one long drink, as if it contained some whiskey that would make this conversation go easier.

“Okay, if you’re sure.  But if you need to bolt out of here, I totally understand,” Kurt grinned.  “Or you know, if you need a shot of alcohol or something,” Kurt laughed and sipped his coffee.

Burt glared at him, but then he seemed to consider that it might just be a good idea. 

Finn, rubbing his eyes, stepped into the room, and looked around at the three other members of his family.  Carole stepped forward, put a plate of eggs and bacon into his hands, and shooed him back out. 

“Out Finn.  This is not a discussion you need to be a part of.  Go eat in the living room.”

Finn grabbed the entire carton of orange juice off the table and started to leave, a piece of bacon sticking out of his mouth.  He looked at Kurt in confusion.

“It’s about sex, Finn,” Kurt grinned.  “ _Gay_ sex.”

And Finn shot out the door, tripping over his own feet on the way.  They heard a mumbled curse and then some heavy footsteps on the stairs. 

“You enjoyed that,” Carole smirked at him.

“Yes, I did,” Kurt admitted.  “I guess the living room wasn’t far enough away for him.”

“Okay, now that you’ve tortured your brother, go on,” Burt gestured for him to continue talking.

“Okay, I want you to know that I’ve always kept our talk in the back of my mind.”

Burt smiled at him.  “Good.”

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I listened,” Kurt admitted quietly.

Burt’s forehead hit the table, and the thunk sounded painful.  “Kurrrrrt.”

“Ouch.  Are you okay?” Kurt grimaced at the sound.

His father did not look up from the table.  “No.  I’m not okay.  Go on,” he mumbled, face down. 

 “Eat, honey.  He’s a big boy.  You can be one too,” Carole told her husband.  She placed a plate of food in front of him and then she rubbed her hand across his father’s neck. 

Kurt snorted at her.  “I love you, Carole.”

“I know sweetie.  I love you too.”

“Okay, to be honest, I did listen in the beginning.  I wanted to take things slowly, so Blaine and I did.  For months, all we did was kiss, and I’m sure you can imagine how frustrating that was.” 

“I don’t want to imagine that actually,” Burt replied dryly. 

Kurt threw his head back and laughed.  “No, I guess you don’t.  And I never imagined this discussion would be this entertaining.” 

Burt glared at him, and Kurt shrugged defensively. 

“I’m trying to be honest here,” Kurt grinned.  “But seriously, you remember when he came to you to ask you to tell me about sex?”

Burt nodded at him.  Their father-son relationship wouldn’t have allowed Burt to keep that a secret from Kurt.  He’d told him the next day what Blaine had done. 

“I really should have seen things for how they really were then.  He came to you because of discussion he and I had over a performance.  He’d wanted the Warblers to do a sexy number for competition.  And he was confused about what I considered my _sexy faces_.  He said they weren’t.  And I got angry and told him that they probably weren’t sexy because I didn’t know the first thing about sex.  Which led to your discussion with him.”

“It bothered me because he came to me as your friend, and then just a little while later, he was your boyfriend.  I felt like I’d been set up.”  Burt replied, and Carole sat and held his hand, threading her fingers through his. 

Kurt nodded.  “I know.  I did too.”

And he had.  He felt like Blaine had done it so that Kurt would be “easier”.  Which was another reason why he’d waited so long to have sex with Blaine. 

“It’s also part of the reason I waited so long.  I don’t know.  Maybe I felt like it was punishment for sticking his nose into something that wasn’t his business.  We did nothing for months.  But we talked about it.  And I actually asked him why we hadn’t.  And he said he was fine taking it slow and making me feel comfortable.” 

Carole smiled and him and started in on her own plate of food.

“And then bam, all of a sudden Blaine decides that he wants to be more adventurous.  I had no idea where it came from.  At the time.  I do now.  But at the time, his change of heart confused me.  He started talking in metaphors and acting weird.  But he’s always given me mixed signals, so I thought that was just a product of Blaine being Blaine.”

“Okay, what do you meant you didn’t know at the time, but you do now?”

“That part you aren’t going to like.” 

“Go on.”

“He doesn’t know I know this.  But he had a discussion with someone about making his performance as Tony more believable if he weren’t still a virgin.  That’s what changed.  He wasn’t ready to have sex because he wanted me.  He wanted to have sex to be a more realistic Tony.”

Carole’s face was priceless.  It was a thinly veiled combination of horror and fury, and Kurt was sure that if Blaine were here, Carole herself would kill him.  He might need to rethink that whole _Carole was less dangerous than Dad_ theory.

His father’s face wasn’t much better.  Burt was breathing heavily and trying to control an outburst. 

“That is…  I don’t even know…  How the hell?” His father wasn’t even finishing sentences.  That was not a good sign.

“Okay, calm down both of you.   It kind of gets worse.  So before you blow your stacks, take a deep breath.  I don’t want you having another heart attack Dad.”

Burt sat back, took another deep breath, and then got up to get another cup of coffee. 

“Go on.  I’m not sure how that could get any worse, though.”

“It got worse because he met Sebastian Smythe that same week.” Kurt got up to refill his cup too, and then he sat back down, snagging a piece of bacon from the counter.

“He’s that Warbler, right?” Burt asked.

“Yes, and from the moment they met, Sebastian has been after him.  Vocally and shamelessly.  And he led us into another incident that you aren’t going to like.”

Burt’s eyes widened.  “How much worse will this get?”

“On the whole, I’m thinking you’ll want to kill Blaine and possibly lock me away forever,” Kurt shrugged but answered as honestly as he could. 

This wasn’t going well and he hadn’t even gotten to David yet. 

“Go on.”

“We went to a gay bar.  The three of us.  Sebastian, Blaine and I.” Kurt closed his eyes and waited for the explosion. 

“ _WHAT_?  What is wrong with you?” Burt yelled. 

Kurt pointed to himself.  “Designated driver again, by the way.  If that matters.”

Carole placed a hand on Burt’s shoulder and pulled him back down into his seat.

“A lot is wrong with me obviously.  But could you kill me later please?  I’d really like to finish this discussion that I now wish I hadn’t started.” 

Burt closed his eyes again.  The stress was getting to him. 

“Dad, do you want to bow out now?  I don’t want to stress you out.”

“No, I’m fine.  I need to hear this obviously.”

“Maybe.  Maybe not.  I know _I_ need to talk about it.  But I’m not sure now if it’s something I should continue.”

“I can handle it.  Go ahead.”

“You remember that morning you found Blaine drunk in my bed last year?  Before we started dating?”

“Yes, that wasn’t one of his finer moments.”

“The night before that wasn’t either.  About two weeks before that party, on Valentine’s day last year, Blaine made a fool of himself over this guy from the Gap.  He serenaded him with a very descriptive and sexy song.  And he had the Warblers back him up.  It was a bust.  The guy turned out not to like Blaine the way he’d thought.  And I was upset because, honestly, I thought he liked me.  He gave me a lot of signals saying that he did.  So I told him how I felt.  And he turned me down, saying that he only wanted to be friends.”

“Oh, Kurt,” Carole looked at him with sympathy.

“Well, then came the party at Rachel’s.  Finn and I were the only ones not drinking.  Blaine got very drunk, as you know.  And he made out with Rachel.  Rachel of all people.  So here was this gay guy that I liked, who turned me down because he wasn’t attracted to me.  A gay guy who was making out with Rachel after pretty much deciding that I wasn’t worth his time.”

“Okay, I used to adore him, but now I dislike him more and more as you keep talking.  Why did you put up with him?”  Carole asked.

“That’s a very good question.  One that got answered for me last night.  But at the time, he was what I wanted because he was openly gay.  I’d spent my entire high school life liking people who weren’t gay.  And finally, there was Blaine.  Someone I was _allowed_ to like.  So I decided to give him time.  And eventually, he asked me out.” 

“That wasn’t a good enough reason, Kurt,” his father said quietly.

“I know that.  _Now._   I’ve grown up some you know.  I’m telling you this so that you understand that it wasn’t just a one-time issue I’ve had with Blaine.”

“Okay,” Burt nodded.

“Okay, back to the bar.  Blaine spent the entire time dancing with Sebastian.  Not me.  Sebastian kept shooting me these little ‘ _I won’_ looks.  He was mocking me about how Blaine was there with him instead of me.  And this all happened a few days after he’d had that conversation about the play.  About his role as Tony.  Blaine left the bar with me, and he tried to get me to have sex with him in the back of the Navigator.  He tried _really_ hard, if you get what I mean.” 

The blood vessels in his father’s face were pulsing. 

“Calm down, Dad.  He didn’t get his way.  He got mad when I said no, and we fought and he walked home.”

“Kurt, I can’t believe you put up with that shit!” His father yelled.

“I can’t either.  I’m not proud of it.  And I’m sorry I hid everything from you.  Both of you.  But you’re going to dislike what I did too.”

“You caved,” Burt muttered, drawing the correct conclusion because he knew his son very well.

“Yes.  I did.  Not that night but later on.  I’m not proud of it, but I thought that it would keep him.  That if I waited much longer, he’d leave me for Sebastian.  In the long run, it really doesn’t matter, because apparently he can’t stay away from Sebastian regardless.”

“Is _he_ why you broke up last night?” Carole asked quietly.

“Not really.  I think he’s cheating with Sebastian, but I have no proof.  What I do know is that no matter how many times I would ask him to stay away, Blaine chose not to.  And it doesn’t matter now anyway.  I’m tired of pretending that Blaine was this Prince Charming who swept me off my feet.  I chased him.  I waited for him to acknowledge my existence.  I stepped out of the limelight to allow him to shine.”

Kurt took a sip of his now cold coffee and continued. 

“I did everything I shouldn’t have done.  I allowed myself to _not matter_ so that he _could_.  I did exactly what you told me not to do, Dad.  I don’t mean I threw myself around, but I allowed someone to make me the lesser half in something that _should_ have been special.  And I got tired of being that lesser half.  It was exhausting.”

“So what happened last night to change things?”

“Well, Blaine has been ignoring me most of the week.  He said it was because his brother was visiting, but when he returned my texts, they were short and evasive.  I figured it was because of Valentine’s Day so I didn’t confront him.”

Kurt smiled when he thought about David’s gifts during the past week. 

“I’d been receiving gifts every day this week.  Little cards and stuffed animals, signed your secret admirer.  They were very sweet, and I loved them.  I started feeling special again.  So I forgave him for ignoring me because he was wooing me that way.” 

Both his dad and Carole had finished eating, and she got up to put their dishes away.  “Go on.”

“Well, it turned out that they weren’t from him.  My secret admirer wasn’t Blaine, like I thought it had been all week.  Believe me, I was shocked.”

“Who was it?”

Kurt smiled from behind the coffee cup.  “I’ll tell you that in just a little bit.”

“That sounds interesting,” Carole remarked and grinned at him.

“It is.  But that’s a whole different story.  Well, what Blaine did for Valentine’s Day was put together another showstopping number.  For all the lovers at the Sugar Shack.  He didn’t even dedicate the song to me.  We sang together, because I was going to pull as much focus off him as I could,” he laughed. 

Carole smirked, “I hope you stole the show.”

“I tried.  You should have seen his face when he offered me his mic and I pulled out my own.  It was priceless,” he laughed at the memory. 

“Well, I waited, and I gave him another opportunity to see if he’d done anything for me.  Before we left the Sugar Shack, he was back to texting Sebastian about his performance.”

“Isn’t he that one that threw that slushie meant for you?  He almost _blinded_ Blaine.”

“I know.  But Sebastian has some sort of hold over him.  He apparently apologized profusely, and Blaine forgave him.  I wasn’t there.  Of course, I wasn’t there.  I’ve lost count of how many times the two of them have been somewhere alone together.  But anyway, he’s never even cared what I think about Sebastian, so he’s never tried to stop seeing him.”

“So what _did_ he get you for Valentine’s Day?” Carole asked.

“Nothing.  Well, not nothing.  He got me a completely empty house to have sex in.  That’s about it.”  Kurt said, probably more bluntly than he should have. 

Burt stiffened in his chair again. 

“That, along with some other realizations I had last night, convinced me that it was okay to be selfish and want something good for myself.  I didn’t have sex with him, and he got mad again.  And after I left, I drove back and broke up with him.  I told him to go see what he was missing with Sebastian.”

“That’s my boy,” Burt smirked. 

“He’s not happy.  And I’m sure there will be a lot more drama today over it.  Especially when he finds out who the secret admirer was.”

“Okay, now to the good stuff.  Who was the secret admirer?”  Carole asked eagerly.

Kurt took a final deep breath and smiled.  These two words would lead to another explosion and another long, drawn out discussion that he wasn’t ready for and didn’t actually have time for either.

“Well, it was very shocking for me.” 

“Kurt, who was it?  Because I feel like he had something to do with your decision last night.  Which isn’t a bad thing, if he helped you figure out that you were selling yourself short.”  Burt replied.

“I agree.  He was a major factor.  He gave me a wake-up call, that’s for sure.”

“So, who was it?” Carole prodded again.

Kurt looked between Carole and his father, and he decided to just suck it up and take whatever was coming. 

“David Karofsky.”


	3. Chapter 3

Burt Hummel had gone utterly silent. 

Carole sat, hand over her mouth, eyes expressive, as wordless as her husband.

And now Kurt was slightly terrified.  Not for himself, but for David.  Maybe he should have led into this a little differently.  A silent Burt Hummel was scarier than anything he’d ever seen.  And he’d seen his father do _scary_ plenty of times.

“Dad.  I can explain.” 

But could he?  Could he really?  What part of this would be easy?  He was about to confess that nearly a year ago, he had known David Karofsky was gay but hadn’t told anyone, not even his own father, of how that had played into David’s bullying. 

“Then do it.”  His father was clenching the coffee cup as if he were about to crush it between his hands. 

“Last year.  Back when all the bullying was going on,” Kurt breathed in and out slowly.  This was harder to tell than anything he’d said about Blaine.  And Blaine’s behavior, honestly, had been worse. 

“Yes?” Burt asked in a voice that was almost normal. 

“There was an incident I didn’t tell you about.  He’d pushed me again in the halls, and I confronted him.  I followed him into the locker room and started yelling at him.  Not my finest moment, and I kind of have Blaine to thank for that.  But following him was all me.  We argued, and he kept telling me to back off.  I called him scared and a bunch of other things that I knew would hurt him because I knew I couldn’t hurt him physically.  He warned me, but I didn’t listen.”

Burt closed his eyes and sat back.  “What happened?”

“David kissed me.”

Carole’s hand flew to her mouth again, but then she smiled slightly.  “So that’s why…” she began.

“Yes,” Kurt answered.  “That’s why.  And the kiss terrified him.  He started to kiss me again, but he freaked me out, and I pushed him away.  Then he slammed his fists into the gym lockers and ran out.”

“David Karofsky is gay.” Burt said, more to himself than to Kurt or Carole.

“Yes.  I freaked out because he’d always been so aggressive with me.  I told Blaine about it, even though I’d just met him the day before.  Another one of my not so great moments in life.  I’d told him about David that day I’d spied at Dalton, and he’d encouraged me to confront him.  Which is why I followed David into the locker room.”

“He could have really hurt you, Kurt!” His father’s eyes narrowed at him.

“I know.  I’m not saying I’m a genius Dad.  After I told Blaine, he got the bright idea to talk to David about it.  And we ended up confronting him on the stairs because Blaine got all in his face.  David told him to back off.  David warned him to leave him alone, but ambushing him like that wasn’t fair, and David reacted.  He and Blaine almost fought, but David took off.” 

“That wasn’t a good idea, Kurt.” Carole reprimanded him.

“I know that now.  And I’ve always been so against outing, but that’s what we almost did.  If anyone had heard us, that’s what would have happened.  I could just blame Blaine, but I was there too.  I confronted him too.  And it terrified the hell out of David.”

“I guess it would,” Burt replied. 

Kurt could tell that his father was starting to feel sympathy for David rather than anger.  It made him more comfortable about finishing the story. 

“The next day is when he threatened me.  And looking back on it, I realize that it was desperation.  He was scared to death that I would tell someone else and it would out him to the school.  I’m not saying that he didn’t scare me.  The look on his face was deadly serious, but I realize now that it was his anger at what we’d done.  I really _was_ afraid of him.  _And_ I thought I’d given him enough reason to hurt me by telling Blaine.  I promised him that day that I wouldn’t tell anyone else.”

“And that’s why you didn’t tell us.”

“Yes.  Even through all those meetings about me coming back, I couldn’t.  I’d vowed not to betray that again.”

“His father?” Burt had liked Mr. Karofsky. 

“I’m not sure if he knows or not.  Last night David only said that he wasn’t out at his school.  He didn’t say anything about being out to Mr. Karofsky.”

“And the Bullywhips?  The apology?”

“I forgave him then.  I knew how hard it was for him.  I forgave him long before he changed schools.  I don’t even know why he did that.  It was like he just disappeared.”

“So he just out of the blue starts sending you things this week?”  Carole asked.

“Kind of.  But it wasn’t totally out of the blue for him apparently.  He’s been slowly getting used to the idea of being gay.  He was there at that bar the night Sebastian, Blaine and I went.  That was the first I’d seen him since he left McKinley.”

“Did you two talk?”

“Yes, ironically it was while Blaine was dancing with Sebastian.  He said he goes there to feel comfortable.  To fit in.  And he actually looked happy.  He smiled quite a bit that night, and we talked about him taking baby steps to change his life.”   

“Sending you valentines all week sounds like more than baby steps,” Carole smiled.

“He decided he was going to tell me how he felt about me last night.  No matter what my answer was going to be.  And of course, I told him that I was with Blaine.  He got upset and left, but not before someone from his school saw him.”

“Oh no!” Carole gasped. 

“Yeah, he took off.  I’m sure that’s going to develop into something.  The guy looked way to happy about catching David there.  With me.”

“That’s not good.  Did you talk to David?”  Burt asked.

“No, in another one of my fine, Blaine-centric moments, I didn’t go after him.  And I should have.  There’s a lot of my behavior over the past year that I’m not proud of, in case you weren’t aware.  Although it might have made it worse for him if I had gone after him, I don’t know.  But then Blaine came to the party, and I was going to go back to dealing with the issues over him.  And you already know how that ended.”

“So afterwards is when you went back to break up with Blaine?” Carole asked.

“Yes, when I left his house, I played a CD that I had found in one of David’s valentines.  He’d recorded himself singing.  On it, he said that he knew I’d turn him down, which I did, because I was with Blaine.  After listening to it and thinking about everything I’d dealt with last night, I decided to end it with Blaine.”

“For David?” Carole asked quietly.

“No.  I don’t even know the real David, but I would like to.  So after I left Blaine’s I drove to David’s.  I told him that I wanted to be friends, but that I wasn’t ready to date him.  He agreed to take things slowly and let me process everything about both him and Blaine.  I don’t want to hurt him, and I don’t want him to be a rebound boyfriend.  So I agreed to just be friends with him.  And he said he was okay with that for now.”

“Are you asking for permission from me?” His father asked quietly.

“No, not really.  I should have done this a long time ago.  Not because I owed him anything.  Because it was the right thing to do.  Like prom for example.  He was just as freaked out about me being voted Prom Queen as I was.  But nobody was there to help him deal with it.  There are so many times I should have gone after David.  To talk to him.  To help him feel like he wasn’t so alone.  But I was so all about me.  And Blaine.  And the times when I did say that I’d like to help David, Blaine didn’t approve.  And he was very vocal about it.”

“It sounds like David has come a long way.”  Burt sounded proud of David.  That was a good sign.  He wouldn’t mind so much that Kurt was going to repair his relationship with him.

“Even further than me in some ways.  I spent months in a relationship that made me feel horrible about myself all because I was scared to be alone.  David was alone but willing to put his heart out on the line for me.  And then when I turned him down, he was respectful.  And he apologized to me.  Just for _bothering_ me.  I honestly can’t think of another person in my life, my age, that would be that honest and polite about a situation like that.  Blaine would have thrown a fit about it.  Most every one of my friends would have thrown a fit about it.”

“You are quite right about that.” Carole agreed.  “I’m having visions about Quinn and Rachel right now.  Fighting over who gets Finn.”

Kurt laughed.  “I’ve actually seen those fights.  They’re more PTSD flashbacks for me than visions.”

Carole shivered, “I can imagine.”

“I’m proud of you Kurt.  For realizing what you need to fix about your life and with David.  So, I’ll back you up over this.  David is welcome here anytime.  But the rules apply.”

“Dad, I told you I’m not dating him.  Yet.  Maybe not at all.  I don’t even really know him yet.  I’m not making that decision until I know this David.  He’s not Karofsky anymore.  He gave me permission to tell you about him.  But I’m not telling Finn yet.  It shouldn’t be an issue with anyone at McKinley since he doesn’t go there.  But it’s his story to tell.  I can’t out him now any more than I could then.  When he’s ready, I’ll be there to support him if he decides to out himself to McKinley.  If he does come over, it’ll be hard to explain to Finn why without outing him.  So I’ll have to see what David thinks about that.”

“Okay.”

“Finn and I better get to school.  I have Blaine issues to deal with there, I’m sure.” Kurt grimaced and got up out of his chair.  He walked over to his father and hugged him.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Thank you for telling me.”

Kurt leaned over and kissed Carole on the cheek.  “I love both of you very much.  And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you two everything before.  About both David and Blaine.  Maybe my life would have turned out a lot differently if I had.”

“We love you too, buddy.  Have a good day at school.” Burt sat back and he and Carole looked at each other, doing that wordless communication thing.

He walked into the living room and shouted for Finn.  His step-brother came barreling down the stairs ready for school.  “You done?”

“Yes, the conversation is over, you coward,” Kurt smiled and picked up his bag.

“I’m not a coward.  I’m just touchy about certain topics.”

“Like gay sex.”

“Stop saying that,” Finn glared.

“Gay.” Kurt smirked.

“Kurt,” Finn warned.

“Sex.”

“Mom!  Kurt’s doing it again!”

“Suck it up Finn!  What are you, twelve?” Carole shouted from the kitchen.

Finn’s mind had gone somewhere that made him very uncomfortable, Kurt could tell.  His eyes bugged when he heard the word _suck_.  And his mind was probably already trying to block out the imagery.

“Oh my god.  _Suck it up_!” Kurt opened the front door of the house and nearly fell over laughing at Finn’s expression.  “Aren’t you supposed to be getting married?  And you can’t even get past the words _gay sex_ and _suck it up_ being used in the same conversation?” Kurt smirked at him.

“I am getting married,” Finn argued, “to a _girl_.  So I don’t have to worry about not being able to picture that.”  Finn shivered as he said that.

“And such is the maturity level of Finn Hudson.” Kurt opened the door to his Navigator and shouted “Good luck Rachel Berry!” vaguely into the air before he got into the car.

Finn glared at him again and got into the passenger seat of the car.  “Shut up.”

“You know, Rachel probably thinks it’s hot.  Most girls do.”

Kurt was not going to let this die.  This conversation was too fun, and the expressions on Finn’s face were too priceless to ignore.  He started the Navigator and pulled out to head for school.

“Ewww.”

“Seriously, are you that immature?  Most men think that two women having sex is hot, so why wouldn’t most women think two men having sex is hot?”

“Do you think that two girls having sex is hot?” Finn challenged.

“Well, since I’m not physically attracted to them, I can’t imagine I would.  But Brittany was a great kisser, so I can see how it might be sexy to heterosexual men.  And even though Santana is a lesbian, she thinks two men having sex is sexy.  Or wanky, actually.”

“Brittany and Santana together would be hot.”  Finn replied.

“I’m so telling Rachel that.” Kurt smirked at the look of fear on Finn’s face.

“Don’t you dare! She’ll kill me!”

“Should have been nicer to me then,” Kurt responded happily.  “Blackmail material is so satisfying early in the morning.”  He sighed loudly.

“I hate you.”

“I hate you too, dude.”

“DUDE?” Finn turned in the seat to stare at him.  “You just called me dude.  You hate that word.”

“No, I don’t.  You and Noah just think I do.”

“What has gotten into you?” Finn continued to stare at him. 

“Nothing.  Well, nothing other than I broke up with Blaine last night.”

“What?” Finn shouted.

“Quit yelling.  He wasn’t _your_ boyfriend.”

“Why?”

“Lots of different reasons.  Some of which involved that thing you don’t want to talk about.”

“Oh.”  Finn sat back.  “You’re not upset?”

“Not about the break-up.  More about the reasons that the break-up was even necessary.”

“So that’s what you were talking to Mom and Burt about?”

“Yep.  That and _gay sex_.” Kurt snorted as he pulled into the parking lot of McKinley.

“Again.  I hate you.”

“Since you hate _gay sex_ too, I’m sure I’ll have some good company.  _Gay sex_ and I get along just fine.”

“Stop saying that.” Finn slammed the door on the car and stalked toward the school.

“You can’t separate me from my _gay sex_ , Finn Hudson.  We are in a very loving relationship.  _Gay sex_ feels the same way about me that I feel about it.” Kurt followed him.

Finn closed his mouth on another protest, apparently giving up the argument.

“That was a satisfying win.  I’m sure telling Rachel about your Santana and Brittany fantasy will feel even better.”

“I’m going to torture you with images of straight people sex on the way home from school.” Finn turned around and promised with a smirk.

“Straight people sex?  Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?  What are you going to do?  I’ll bet you can’t even say the words to me, solely based on my knowledge of your maturity level.”

“And badgering me with gay sex is so mature of you?”

“Nope.  Not mature.  But then again, I’m not the one getting married after senior year of high school either.  I have time to mature more.” Kurt argued.  “I’m proud of you for actually saying the words though.  You’ve come so far in the past twenty minutes.”

“Shut up.”

“Such a comeback!  I’m crying in defeat over here and reeling from the acidity of your wit.”

“What?”

Kurt snorted and patted him on the cheek.  “It’s okay.  Just go find Rachel.”

He pulled out his phone and texted David.

**From Kurt:  Just won epic battle of the wits against Finn.  Not that it was hard. LOL  BTW, Dad is cool with you.  Told him almost everything.  Mostly about our past.  Not all of last night though.**

**From David: Our past? That’s alarming.**

**From Kurt:  He’s cool with you.  I may have thrown Blaine under the bus for his bad behaviors as a way to pave the way to your redemption.**

**From David:  Hey, whatever works.  LOL  So Bland is really out of the picture?**

**From Kurt:  Yes.  And Bland?  Is that what you really call him?**

**From David:  Maybe.**

**From Kurt:  So I’m Fancy and he’s Bland.  LMAO.  I find that way too amusing.**

**From David:  I could use Hairgel or Eyebrows.**

**From Kurt:  I believe Santana has claimed Eyebrows.  She’s claimed Hobbit too I think.**

**From David:  Well shit.  Then I have to stick with Bland.**

**From Kurt:  Hey, be careful today.  That guy from the Sugar Shack.  I don’t trust him.**

**From David:  I’ll be careful.  Good luck today Fancy.  Tell Bland I said Hi.  I mean fuck off. LOL**

**From Kurt:  LOL Behave.  What does Santana call you?  Just curious.**

**From David:  Nothing.**

**From Kurt: Liar.  I can tell.**

**From David:  It’s Davey Bear okay.  Geez.**

**From Kurt:  OMG that’s so cute.  You _are_ like Yogi.**

**From David:  Shut up.**

**From Kurt:  It’s better than Baby Gay or Lady Lips, which is what she calls me.**

**From David:  Yeah, those are bad.  At least she isn’t calling you Twinkie.**

**From Kurt: OMG I snorted out loud.  She’d better not.  I’m changing your name to Yogi in my phone.**

**From Yogi:  You’re still Fancy in mine.**

**From Kurt:  I can’t put Hamhock.  It doesn’t suit you.**

**From Yogi:  ;) Thanks.  Have a good day.**

**From Kurt:  You too.  And be careful.**

Kurt smiled as he returned his phone to his pocket and walked into the school.  Even though he was having a good day today, he couldn’t help but worry about David.   That guy at the Sugar Shack was going to be trouble. 


	4. Chapter 4

Last night had not happened. 

Kurt Hummel had not shown up at his front door, told him that he’d broken up with Blaine, and then kissed him before claiming a love of butterscotch candy. 

All of that had obviously been a dream conjured by his brain to eliminate the embarrassment he’d gone through after Kurt had said the dreaded phrase “ _I’m with Blaine_ ” at Breadstix.  Sugar Shack.  Whatever the fuck the place was called now.

That was the only explanation. 

Last night was not supposed to go like that.  Kurt was supposed to turn him down, tell him to leave him and Bland alone, and then he’d have his closure. 

Fucking closure. 

Stupid fucking therapist that convinced him that Valentine’s Day was the right time to tell Kurt how he felt about him. 

Stupid fucking therapist that had been right.  He’d never live that shit down. 

Fucking _‘take a chance’_ she said.  Fucking _‘you’ll never know for sure if you don’t tell him’_ she said.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that Kurt would come and say that he wanted to be friends and possibly _more_ once they got to know each other.

Shit like that didn’t happen to him.  He was David Karofksy. 

Not Bland Prep-School Anderfuck.  Or whatever the hell his name was. 

Santana had told him the douche’s name once, but since she wasn’t crazy about Prep-School either, he never could be sure that the names she called him were real.  He was pretty sure that Hobbit McBastardslut was the most creative, and the most wrong. 

Hobbit certainly fit, but he didn’t even look Scottish, but whatever, Santana.

But judging by the number of times David had seen him at Scandal’s with Sebastian, resident self-appointed Bear-Cub trainer extraordinaire, the Bastardslut part of the name fit.

Which is exactly why he’d assumed that Kurt wasn’t with Prep-School anymore. 

If he had been, wouldn’t Kurt have been with Bland at Scandal’s instead of Sebastian?   

But then Kurt had said “ _I’m with Blaine_.” 

Which meant Prep-School was stepping out on him.  With Sebastian of course. 

He had to talk to that little fucker next time he saw him.  He knew his friend was after Anderfuck, but he didn’t know that they were cheating on Kurt to do it. 

Because he knew that Kurt wasn’t lying.  He could tell when Kurt lied.  It was written all over his face whenever he did.  Kurt had no clue that Bland was seeing Sebastian at Scandal’s.  He’d bet on it.

David had been so close to telling Kurt that Blaine was going to Scandal’s with Sebastian, but he didn’t want to cause Kurt any more pain.  He’d done enough to him last night.  So he’d spent a good part of the night trying to figure out how to get Kurt to find out that Blaine was clubbing with Sebastian, without getting himself shot for being the messenger. 

And then the heavens opened up and his prayers were answered. 

Kurt showed up, broke up with Prep-School without David having to say a word about Bland, and then dropped the bomb on him.  And that was some good shit. 

But good shit didn’t happen to him.  Not David. 

Good shit like this.  Getting to have Kurt Hummel in his life.  That shit didn’t happen to him.  It hadn’t happened to him….like…ever.

So obviously, last night hadn’t happened. 

Because if he admitted that it had, he’d have to remember that he’d told Kurt that he thought he loved him.  And that shit was fucking scary.

You don’t tell Kurt Hummel shit like that and expect him to let you get away without discussing it. 

Fuck, no.  That would have been too easy.  No, they had to _sit down_.  They had to _talk_. 

And if they hadn’t talked, then he wouldn’t have held Kurt’s hand.  And then he wouldn’t have had to watch Kurt pull that hand away. 

That shit fucking _hurt_. 

And what the fuck was it about Kurt that made him cuss so much just thinking about him? 

David got up and got dressed for school. 

Last night hadn’t happened, so he didn’t have to worry about Nick Raines knowing that he’d been with Kurt last night.  And possibly knowing that David was gay. 

Because last night hadn’t happened.  It had been a dream.

**From Fancy:  Morning.  Got a question. How much are you okay with my dad knowing?**

Well, shit.  There went the idea that last night hadn’t happened.  Kurt was texting him.  About last night. 

Fuck.  Be cool.  Be cool, and don’t cuss so much, you fucking idiot, he thought to himself.

**From David:  Hey.  Morning to you too.  How much does he already know?**

There.  That was good.  Polite.  He needed to make it a habit of that.  Kurt wanted romance, he wanted someone polite.  Not some fucking idiot who couldn’t control his mouth. 

**From Fancy:  Nothing.**

What the hell?  He kept that promise?  After all this time, he really hadn’t told anybody their secret?  Not even his fucking scary dad?

**From David:  Nothing?**

See.  He could do it.  No panicking.  He could be smooth. 

He needed to start being smooth, because he certainly didn’t win any awards for it last night.

**From Fancy:  I told you that I wouldn't tell anyone else. I'm sorry I told Blaine. But after him, I told nobody else.**

Blaine.  Why did he have to bring that name up?  Ugh. 

**From David:  Oh. How much do you want to tell him?**

He’d prefer to date Kurt forever without Mr. Hummel ever finding out.  And hell, if they ever managed to get married, he’d rather do that by proxy. 

Like Mr. Hummel would be in one state with Kurt while David recited vows to Kurt through skype or something while David was in a totally different state so that the chances of running in to Kurt’s father would be non-existent. 

And the chance of Mr. Hummel killing him would be even lower than non-existent.  Except that was fucking stupid cause no chance could be lower than non-existent.

See, this is what having Kurt Hummel in his life did to a guy.  Fucked up his brain.  Made him say and do stupid shit. 

**From Fancy:  I'll leave that up to you.  But I'd rather say nothing than lie about it.  But if I say nothing, he won't trust me later.**

Yes, lying was bad.  Stupid fucking therapist said so too.  And hiding that they were friends would backfire, because shit backfired on David Karofsky. 

It was like the law of karma or some shit.  Santana knew what he was talking about. 

Kurt would know about karma.  He’d ask Kurt about it when he stopped being a fucking idiot who stuck his foot in his fucking mouth in the middle of restaurants on Valentine’s Day. 

Whenever that happened.  Like thirty years from now or something.

**From David:  That's true.  Go ahead.  Tell him everything.  Whatever you need to do to keep him from killing me. ;)**

That was smooth.  He was getting good at this. 

Not being killed by Mr. Hummel was good.  It would be hard to date Kurt otherwise.

**From Fancy:  LOL Okay.  Give me a few days to calm Dad down before we hang out.**

**From David:  That doesn’t sound good.**

He’d been on the receiving end of Mr. Hummel’s anger before, and he really didn’t want to repeat that experience.  For a man who had a heart problem, he was strong. 

**From Fancy:  You'll be fine. I locked his shotgun up about a year ago. LOL**

_Fancy, that shit ain’t funny_.  The man wasn’t supposed to joke about shotguns and Burt Hummel. 

**From David:  That's not funny, Kurt.**

**From Fancy:  Yes, it is. TTYL**

Of course he thought it was.  He wasn’t on the other end of that shotgun.  He got to stand behind his dad and mock David’s fear.

David finished getting his stuff together for school and went downstairs.  His father was in the kitchen, and his mother and sister were hogging the two bathrooms again.  He and his father were banished to the realms of _taking a shower the night before to save hot water in the morning for the women of the family_. 

Or whatever that land run by the Karofsky women was called. 

“Morning, Dad.” 

Paul Karofsky had what would only be called a shit-eating grin on his face.  _Great_.

“I hear you had a visitor last night?”

“Yes, I did.”

David smiled a little and went to the fridge to get the milk out.  He poured a glass and he snagged some sausage and eggs from the platter on the counter, spooning them into a plate his father handed him.

“So it went well, then?”

Stupid fucking therapist who said it was normal to share things with parents.  All that did was make parents nosy.

“I guess.”  David took a bite of his breakfast and shrugged.

“David,” his father smirked at him.  “I know he was here.  Your mother said you were grinning like an idiot after a _friend_ of yours left last night.  A friend she _heard_ but didn’t _see_.”

“Well, he doesn’t exactly know about Mom and Lena.  He only ever met you, so I didn’t want to introduce them right away.”

Not right then.  Because Kurt might not have kissed him if he knew David’s mother and sister had been upstairs.  And that would have been a fucking tragedy.

“So what happened?  You told him, right?”

“ _You_ are as bad as your gossiping wife,” David smirked and pointed his fork at his father.

“Don’t talk about your mother like that,” Olivia Karofsky said as she came into the room. 

“Sorry, Mom.”  David avoided her gaze while he chewed.  “But he is,” he muttered under his breath.

“I know.  But I’m talking about you not bad-mouthing me.  Bad-mouth him all you want, but don’t associate me with his gossiping ways,” Olivia poured herself a cup of coffee and smiled at him. 

David rolled his eyes as he took a drink of his milk.  “Whatever.  You’re just as bad.”

Olivia’s eyebrow rose at him, and he smiled sweetly at his mother from behind his glass. 

“I’m sorry, Mom.  You are the most ungossipy female in this house.”  _After his sister_.  Which meant she was worse, but he wasn’t saying anything else.  Not to his mother’s face anyway.

His mother snorted.  “Ungossipy?”

David shrugged. “Go with it.”

“So?”

“So why so nosy?” David evaded and finished off his food. 

“Because this was important.” Olivia narrowed her eyes at him.  “Now tell us.”

“Okay, to summarize, he was surprised, said he was still with his boyfriend, Nick from school saw me and will probably out me today, I ran out, Kurt showed up later here to tell me that he’d broken up with said boyfriend, he said he wants to start out being friends, but that he’s not against something more later on when he gets to know this me, the me that isn’t a bully.”

He wasn’t telling them that Kurt had kissed him.  That was too new.  Maybe one day.  But right now, that information was just for him.

His mother’s eyes started watering, and David rolled his eyes again.  She was as bad as him. 

Olivia Karofsky was definitely who he got his sensitive, cry like a fucking baby side.

“What do you mean Nick from school saw you?”  The worried look was back on her face.

“I mean that I didn’t see him, and he saw me.  Talking to Kurt.  He probably heard a lot of what I said.  And then he made a point of talking to me before I left.  So he’s probably going to make trouble for me.”

“Oh, David,” Olivia sat down and grabbed his hand.  “I’m sorry.”

“Well, it isn’t the best situation, but I would have to come out sometime right?  Especially if I’m going to have anything with Kurt.”

He wasn’t going to let his parents know exactly how freaked out he was about that.  They had enough to worry about.

She smiled and sipped her coffee.  “So will you be bringing him around soon?”

“Maybe.  He said he has to calm his dad down first.  Mr. Hummel is slightly scary.”

Paul Karofsky snorted.  “Well, you did give him reason to be.”

“I know.  I’d really rather he not know at all because I’ll feel my life is in danger every moment if he does know.”

His mother laughed at him.  “Wimp.”

“Hush, old woman,” David smirked and kissed her on the cheek.

“Is Lena ready?”

“I don’t know.  She was in her room throwing clothes around and bitching about some guy named Luke.  I don’t remember middle school being that stressful.”

“Ah, yes.  Luke the basketball star.”

“Loser.  Everybody knows hockey is better than basketball.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Paul suggested.

David walked into the living room and shouted his sister’s name.  She came barreling down the stairs and stopped at the look on his face.

“Yes?” Lena smiled at him.

“Well, it’s a maybe that is leaning towards a yes in the future.” David grinned.

Lena shouted and threw herself into his arms.  “I knew it.  I knew if you’d just be you, he couldn’t resist it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” David replied.  “I have to go.  I’d drop you off, but you’d be like forty-five minutes early for school if I did since I have to drive so far.”

“It’s cool.  I’ll get Dad to take me.”

“Bye midget.”

“Bye snot.”

David messed up her hair and left while she shouted her complaints at their parents in the background.  He got into his truck and started it up, backing out of the driveway in silence.  Once he got on the road, he turned on the radio. 

Carmel was quite a drive from home, but it was the reason that he had the truck in the first place.  Going to a school out of the district required using personal transportation to get there.  But that was fine with David.  He loved his truck.

He turned the frequency to one of the rock stations, and Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls was on.   He loved this song, and he started tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. 

 _“And I don’t want the world to see me, cause I don’t think that they’d understand.  When everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am_ ,” he sang along with the music.

Wow.  Wasn’t that the truth? 

That lyric summed up his whole week.  His whole life. 

He couldn’t believe last night had happened.  And then Kurt had texted him this morning.  He wondered when would be a good time to get in touch with Kurt, but he hadn’t expected Kurt to initiate it.  He smiled when he pictured Kurt reading his texts.  Man, he hoped he didn’t screw this up.  This was way too fucking important to him.

His mind drifted to Nick Raines.  He’d looked way too happy to see David at Breadstix with Kurt.  And he was sure that the asshole had heard a lot of what David had said to Kurt. 

So not only had it been embarrassing to have Kurt turn him down in public, a guy from school had seen it, and that same guy didn’t know that Kurt had had a change of heart later on.  And not only could he mock David for being gay, he could also use Kurt turning him down as ammunition, too. 

Nothing about the fucking situation could be good. 

The drive didn’t seem as long this morning because he had Kurt on his mind again.  But in a good way this time. 

He pulled into the parking lot and stayed in his truck for a little while.  He was always early for school since he had to drive so far.  He leaned his head back against the seat and sighed, closing his eyes as he listened to the radio.  He really did not want to go inside today. 

He did not want to see what Nick had planned for him. 

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see _Fancy_ on the alert. 

**From Fancy:  Just won epic battle of the wits against Finn.  Not that it was hard.  LOL BTW, Dad is cool with you.  Told him almost everything.  Mostly about our past.  Not all of last night though.**

David laughed.  Winning a battle of wits against Hudson wasn’t hard. 

**From David:  Our past? That's alarming.**

He could do this polite and non-cussing shit.  If he was always sticking his foot in his mouth in person, he could sure as hell charm Fancy through texts.  He liked the sound of that “our” too.

**From Fancy:  He's cool with you.  I may have thrown Blaine under the bus for his bad behaviors as a way to pave the way to your redemption.**

He laughed again.  Perfect.  Get Burt Hummel hating Bland Anderfuck, and maybe what David had done wouldn’t look so bad.  His Fancy was a genius. 

Shit.  _His_ _Fancy_?  That sounded good.  Really good. 

**From David:  Hey, whatever works.  LOL So Bland is really out of the picture?**

**From Fancy:  Yes.  And Bland?  Is that what you really call him?**

Well, maybe he wouldn’t share the Anderfuck part, he smiled as he typed.

**From David:  Maybe.**

**From Fancy:  So I'm Fancy and he's Bland. LMAO. I find that way too amusing.**

And it should tell him that he was too fucking good for Bland. 

**From David:  I could use Hairgel or Eyebrows.**

**From Fancy:  I believe Santana has claimed Eyebrows.  She's claimed Hobbit too I think.**

That’s his girl.  She knew he had his back.

**From David: Well shit. Then I have to stick with Bland.**

**From Fancy: Hey, be careful today. That guy from the Sugar Shack. I don't trust him.**

_I don’t either, Fancy,_ he thought to himself.

**From David: I'll be careful. Good luck today Fancy. Tell Bland I said Hi. I mean fuck off. LOL**

Shit.  He slipped.  He was supposed to be polite and charming.  Not himself. 

**From Fancy:  LOL Behave. What does Santana call you? Just curious.**

**From David:  Nothing.**

He really didn’t want to tell Kurt what Santana had called him when she found out he was a bear cub.

**From Fancy:  Liar. I can tell.**

**From David:  It's Davey Bear okay. Geez.**

**From Fancy: OMG that's so cute. You are like Yogi.**

**From David:  Shut up.**

**From Fancy:  It's better than Baby Gay or Lady Lips, which is what she calls me.**

**From David:  Yeah, those are bad. At least she isn't calling you Twinkie.**

**From Fancy: OMG I snorted out loud. She'd better not. I'm changing your name to Yogi in my phone.**

**From David:  You're still Fancy in mine.**

**From Fancy:  I can't put Hamhock. It doesn't suit you.**

**From David: ;) Thanks. Have a good day.**

**From Fancy:  You too. And be careful.**

He would definitely be careful.  Today was not a day to be distracted and off his game.

He got out of his truck and locked it, turning to head toward the school. 

Better suck it up and face whatever was coming. 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Could paranoia set in this early? 

David stood at his locker, spinning the combination, and looked back and forth down the hall.  He’d just walked in.  Surely this was way too early to be paranoid. 

He didn’t even have a class with Nick until fourth period math.  That fucker wouldn’t go out of his way to find him, would he? 

Casey, a girl from his English class who he considered pretty cool, sauntered up to his locker. 

“Hey Dave.” 

She didn’t sound weird.  Not accusing.  Not hateful.  Not anything different than what he’d heard on any other day. 

“Hey Case.  What’s up?” David grabbed the books for his first two classes out of his locker and slammed it shut.

“Nothing.  Just waiting for douchebag.”  

David laughed.  Douchebag was the loving nickname she had for her boyfriend, Mark.  She usually only used it when he was in trouble. 

“What did he do now?”

“Valentine’s Day fail. What else?”  She hugged her books to her chest and sighed pitifully. 

“Poor baby.  What didn’t he do?”  David grinned at her display of self-pity.

“He didn’t do anything.  He texted _Happy V Day_ to me.  _V Day_.  He didn’t even have the energy to type out Valentine’s.  That was sad.”

“Why are you still dating him again?”  David rolled his eyes.

“Because I’m stupid.”

“Keep in mind that you said that.  Not me.”

“I will.  That shithead better not come talk to me today.  I don’t want to hear it.” 

David walked with her to their first period English class.  He slid a glance up and down the hallway again to see if Nick was anywhere around.

“Who are you looking for?”  She stared up and down the hallway, mirroring his movements.

“Nobody.”

“Yeah.  That total _James Bond pretend you don’t care who’s sneaking up behind you, oh shit he’s coming after me look_ totally means nothing.”

“Where do you get this shit?” David looked at her, alarmed by her connections.

“I’m very well informed.”  Casey shrugged.

“And scary as shit too.”

“I try.  So did you do that thing for your girlfriend at the other school?” 

David hated that he didn’t tell her.  She was the closest thing to a friend he had at Carmel.  He hated letting her think that his Valentine’s surprise was for a girl, but he wasn’t going to come out and say it.  Not yet. 

“Yeah.”

“So, did she like it or love it?” Casey smirked.

“Liked with a heavy emphasis on love,” David smiled and held the door open for her to enter the classroom.

“So sweet.  I wish you’d given Douchebag some ideas to do for me for Valentine’s Day.”

“I’m sorry.  I really didn’t think he’d do absolutely nothing.”

Casey deserved somebody better, and he’d told her this over and over.  But she was stuck on Mark the Douchebag Phillips. 

“Don’t worry.  It’s not your fault.”

They settled into their seats for class, and his phone buzzed.  He pulled it out of his pocket and hid it under the desk. 

**From Fancy:  I never realized how well the CIA trained Blaine.  He’s been stalking me since I got here.  Wants to talk about his “feelings”**

**From David:  Well, what do you want?**

**From Fancy:  Honestly, I want to tell him to shut up and leave me the fuck alone.**

David wondered if hearing Kurt say the word fuck would be a sexy as he imagined it would be.  Cause he could imagine than anything Kurt said could be sexy.  And imagining shit like that wasn’t something he needed to be doing right now.

**From David:  Language, Fancy.  Language LOL**

**From Fancy:   Sorry.  He had the nerve to thank me for the gifts I sent him for Valentine’s Day.  Today.  When he ignored them on Valentine’s Day.**

**From David:  What did you get him?**

**From Fancy:  I sent him flowers to his house because he said he’d promised his brother they’d hang all week.  I wasn’t invited.**

Yeah, sure Bland had been hanging with his brother all week.  That’s why he’d been at Scandal’s with Sebastian the Saturday before Valentine’s Day.  David knew cause he’d been there himself.

**From David:  What else?  You said gifts plural.**

**From Fancy:  I sent a card by itself and one with the flowers.  And I got him a new CD he’d wanted.**

**From David:  Why weren’t you invited to hang?**

David looked up and caught the teacher glaring at him.  He didn’t think she knew he was texting, but she knew he wasn’t paying any attention, which was bad enough.  She was detention and suspension happy anyway.  He smiled at her and pretended to be listening.

**From Fancy:  I don’t know.  His family, well his dad, is against his sexuality.  So they aren’t comfortable with me there.**

**From David:  That sucks.  Did he make it up to you with good gifts?  What did he get you?**

He knew it couldn’t have been as much as David had done.  David had put effort into that shit.  He smiled to himself every time he pictured Kurt’s face when he handed him a new gift.  His face had glowed.  And it felt so good to know that he had been the one to put that smile on Fancy’s face.  Not Bland Anderfuck.

**From Fancy:  You don’t want to know.**

**From David:  Yes, I do.  I need to know what my competition was for that. LOL**

**From Fancy:  He got me nothing but an empty house to have sex in.  Oh, and he sang Love Shack and dedicated it to the entire audience at Breadstix.  Sugar Shack.  Whatever it is now.**

His mind had stopped, stuck on the _empty house to have sex in_ comment.  Shit.  That was really something he didn’t need to think about.  Or know.  And Kurt was right when he texted that David didn’t want to know that.  Why couldn’t he keep his fucking questions to himself?

**From David:  Oh.  I’m sorry.**

What else was he supposed to say?  _“I know you said we can only be friends, and I know you share stuff with your friends, but I really don’t wanna hear about Bland fucking you when I can’t?”_

Yeah.  That wasn’t fucking creepy at all.

**From Fancy:  Don’t worry Yogi.  No sex.  I turned him down.  Sex has always been a significant part of the problem between Blaine and me.**

Shit.  Why was he telling this shit to David?  He didn’t want to know about Kurt’s sex life with Bland.  He didn’t mind knowing, and being involved with Kurt’s sex life.  He’d just rather not have to include Bland in those thoughts.

**From David:  Fancy, sometimes you share too much information.**

**From Fancy:  Sorry.  But you need to know this stuff, don’t you?  For later? ;)**

Holy shit.  That he hadn’t expected.  Not at all.  What was he supposed to say now?

**From Fancy:  You have no clue how to respond to that, do you? LOL**

**From David:  Shut up.  I know how to respond to that one. LOL**

**From Fancy:  I’m sorry.  That was mean.  ;)**

**From David:  Be nice.  I need to go.  Dragon teacher keeps staring at me.**

He really didn’t need to be thinking about Kurt and sex in the middle of class.  Just the images could create some issues for him and the fit of his already a little too fucking tight jeans.

**From Fancy:  Okay LOL.  Sorry to get you in trouble.  TTYL**

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Everything had gone fine until fourth period math.  For the first three periods, he’d managed to forget all about Nick Raines.  Well, maybe he hadn’t forgotten, but the paranoia had eased off a little bit.  But then.  Fourth period came.

David arrived in class, and to his relief, Nick wasn’t in class yet.  David went to the back of the room and sat in his regular seat. 

His hands were fucking shaking.  Even worse than they had the night he’d been talking to Kurt. 

If Nick didn’t do something to him, David might just stroke out and get it over with.  He’d never been this nervous in his life. 

Except the other night when he’d been talking to Kurt.  But that was a good, whole different fucking kind of nervous.  That had been the _I’m touching Kurt’s hand and he’s not cussing me out_ kind of good nervous.

This.  This was the not good, could possibly fuck up his entire life kind.

And then Nick strode into the classroom and headed straight for David. 

Shit.

Nick slid into the seat and smirked at him.  “Hey Karofsky.”

In the same fucking tone of voice he’d said it at Breadstix.  The same, know it all tone.

David looked him in the eye.  “Hey Nick.”

“So, you wanna tell me what was really going on the other night?”  Nick sat back and smirked at him.

“I told you.  And even if I hadn’t, how is anything I do any of your business?” David tried to keep his tone normal.  Civil.  Not fucking terrified. 

“It’s not.  I just find it odd that you’d be hanging out at Breadstix on Valentine’s Day.  With another guy.”  Nick’s voice had dropped to a whisper. 

“One who is my _friend_.  Like we said.  From my old school.”

“Yeah.  Okay.  Whatever.  I just know that some of the girls.  You know.  _Casey’s_ friends.  They were talking about how you had some sort of over-the-top Valentine’s present to give your girlfriend.  My girlfriend, you know Alexis.  The one with me at Breadstix.  She said that Casey was all jealous that her boyfriend hadn’t gone all out like you were.”

Shit.  He’d forgotten that Casey and Alexis were friends. 

“So what?”

“Just seems odd that if you had all these plans for _her_ , how did you end up hanging out with a _friend_?  Don’t you think that sounds a little weird?  Maybe a little _gay_?”

“Shut up, Raines.” 

Yeah.  That was a good comeback.  That wasn’t defensive at all.  Fucking hell.

“I don’t hear you denying anything,” Nick smiled at him.  With a smile that was way too fucking happy.

“Back off.  He’s just a friend.  That’s all.  And it’s none of your business what I got my _girlfriend_ on Valentine’s Day.”

He wanted to say it.  He wanted to say _I’m not gay_.

But he was too fucking tired of always lying about it.  The stupid fucking therapist was always telling him that honestly was best for him.  And he’d rather just avoid the subject completely than lie about it. 

Lying was too tiring.  Everything about being in the closet was too tiring. 

Putting walls up everywhere.  Turning down friendships that could have been good because of the fear of being outed.  Hiding everything.  From everyone.  Always being scared.  Always being so fucking scared to do anything or say anything. 

He needed a little of Kurt’s bravery.  Just a little.  Kurt had bravery to spare. 

“Well.  That wasn’t exactly a denial either.  So I’m going to guess that means you are.  _Gay_ I mean.”  Nick whispered the last sentence at him. 

“Back.  Off.  Nick.”

“That guy you were with?  Your _friend_?  Is _he_?  He sure looked like it to me.” Nick smirked again.

“That’s none of your business.”

“I’m gonna take that as a yes, too.  Especially since it’s kind of obvious with him.  I’d be careful if I were you, you know.  _Some_ people could make trouble for you if they had information about you.”

“People like you, you mean?” David glared.

Shit.  Well, that was as good as a fucking admission of it.  He was fucking this up bad.

“I didn’t say that, now did I?”

David grabbed his books and stood up, and the teacher glared at him.  David looked at Mr. Barnes, didn’t say a word, and left the room.  He wasn’t staying there any longer, and he didn’t fucking care how much trouble he’d get into for leaving. 

The hallway was empty as he headed for his locker.  He opened it, threw his books inside, and slammed it shut again.  He headed for the only room that he knew to be empty this period. 

**From David:  Fuck, Fancy.  I think I just fucked up with Nick.  He got me.  Fuck.**

**From Fancy:  Oh God. What happened?**

**From David:  He just kept at me.  Talking about you.  Accusing me and then coming after me when I didn’t deny anything.**

**From Fancy:  Why didn’t you deny it????  Oh, David.  Can you talk now?**

**From David:  Yeah.**

His phone rang a few minutes later.

“Sorry, I had to ditch class before I could call.  Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.  This is fucked up.  I couldn’t just deny it because my stupid fucking therapist has been on my shit for not being honest.  I’m supposed to not deny but not bring it up.  It’s like her fucked up version of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Kurt laughed in his ear, but it wasn’t a good laugh.  It was a laugh bordering on hysterical. 

“David, I think that in this case, your therapist would have understood!”

“I didn’t want to lie about it!  I’m tired of lying.  I’m tired of always feeling like shit about it.  I’m so fucking scared right now.”

“Oh, David.  I’m so sorry.  I wish I was there right now.  What will he do?”

“He said that _some people_ would probably make trouble for me if they had information about me.”

“That’s how he worded it?  That sounds bad.  Can you leave?  Check-out?”

“Probably.   I don’t have anything important this afternoon.”

Nothing but salvaging this mess, anyway.  If that was even possible at this point. 

But wouldn’t checking out and leaving prove to Nick that he was right?

Shit.

That didn’t matter now anyway.  Bolting out of class had probably proven it to him anyway. 

“David, please be careful,” Kurt sounded worried. 

“I will.  I’m leaving.  If they want to make more trouble for me, they’ll have to wait until tomorrow to do it.  I’m not brave like you, Fancy.  I’m getting the fuck out of here today.”

“David, I’m not as brave as you think.  And in this case, I fully support you getting the fuck out of there.  I never did like Carmel High anyway.” 

Shit. 

He’d been right.  Hearing Kurt say “fuck” _was_ the hottest thing he’d ever heard. 

And this was really not the time to be focusing on that.  Not the right time at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Kurt was waiting in David’s driveway when he pulled in, after having driven like a freaked out moron the entire way home.  David got out of the truck and walked to the front door, hands shaking and fumbling with his keys.  Kurt met him right there at the door and took the keys from him.

“Which one?”

“That one,” David pointed out the house key. 

Kurt unlocked the door and opened it, and David followed him inside.  If he weren’t so fucking pissed off and scared, he could appreciate the fact that he was in his house alone.  With Kurt Hummel.

“David,” Kurt turned to him and handed back the keys.  “Can I hug you?  Because you really look like you need one right now.  But I don’t want to make you feel…UMMFF.”

He wasn’t able to finish his thought because David had grabbed him without thinking and pulled him close.  Kurt didn’t push him away.  He wrapped his arms around David’s neck and squeezed. 

“Sorry,” David muttered against his face.  “I didn’t mean to just grab you like that.”

“It’s okay.  And I’m sorry too, David.  I wanted to be wrong about this.  About him.”

“It’s not your fault,” David whispered as he pulled back. 

God that had felt good.  He’d hugged him.  Just hugged him.  He was a goner. 

This whole just being friends shit was going to slowly kill him.  But he’d deal with it, because he was tired of not having Kurt in his life.  He’d been totally platonic friends without benefits for the rest of his life if he had to.  Even though that would be fucking depressing if it worked out that way.

“Still,” Kurt said breathlessly.  “Man, you’re strong,” he laughed as he took some deep breaths. 

“Sorry about that.  Do you want something to eat?  Or a bottle of Jack Daniels?”

“Those are my two options?” Kurt smirked at him.

“Well, I eat when I’m pissed.  And when I feel like forgetting stupid shit I’ve done, alcohol works best.”

“Talking about it could help,” Kurt smiled but followed him into the kitchen.

David fixed himself a sandwich and handed a second one to Kurt.  He opened the fridge and pulled out two sodas, one diet and one regular.  He tossed the diet one to Kurt and grinned. “It’s my mom’s.”

“Your mom?  Oh, I guess I just assumed since your dad was the only one involved in the meeting that your mom wasn’t around.   A product of being a single parent family, I guess.  Sometimes I forget that other people still have two parents.”

“She is.  Around I mean.  They voted that Dad would get the honor of dealing with me.  Mom had work and Lena, my sister.”

“Ah.  How old is your sister?”

“She’s twelve.  She’s going to the middle school here.  Where we went.”

“Ah.  I keep saying that.  _Ah_.  I’m just eloquent today, aren’t I?” Kurt smiled and sat at the table.  “Thanks for the sandwich.”

“No problem.  Thanks for today.  You didn’t have to come here, though.”

“It’s fine.  I haven’t skipped class in a while, so they’ll probably just think I’m sick.”  Kurt took a bite of his sandwich.

“How much worse is it going to get?”

“I don’t know, honestly.  It can get really horrible.  But for me, the worst was always the words.” Kurt replied sadly.  “It was the names.  The insults.  The insinuations.  The things written on my locker.  The comments in the locker room.  That was harder for me than you pushing me around ever was.”

David closed his eyes with regret.  “You mean the things I _said_ were worse than the things I _did_?”

Kurt looked at him quietly.  “I wasn’t just you, you know.  Azimio, the rest of the hockey and football teams, even Puck.  Hell, even Finn.  Especially Finn.  Sometimes the girls were just as bad.  Santana, even though she’s just plain mean to nearly everyone, sometimes her words were worse than yours.  Even Rachel says some unbelievably rude things and she has two gay dads.”

“I’m sor…”

“Stop.  That’s enough.  You’ve said it enough.  Stop beating yourself up over it.  It’s over and done with.  We’re fine.  I know you don’t believe that, but we are.”  Kurt stopped eating and turned to him.  “You can’t keep doing this to yourself.  You screwed up.  I screwed up.  We move on and deal with shit that’s going on now.  Not then, okay?”

“Okay.  But what do you mean that you screwed up?” 

What had Kurt done?  As far as David was concerned, he was the problem in this whole fucked up situation. 

“Last year.  I was thinking about it after we talked the other night.  When you apologized to me back before prom.  You said you were sorry, and all I said was that I _knew_ it.  I never actually said that I forgave you.  Even though I had.  I didn’t realize it at the time because I thought our conversation had dealt with it.  But I never actually said the words “ _I forgive you_ ” to you.  But I do.  I did that day.  I know you were dealing with shit that was more than you could handle.  And instead of easing your fears, I just told you I understood that you had them.  I could have handled that better.  Hell, I could have handled prom better for that matter.”

“That was fucked up.  I’m sorry that happened.” David took a drink of his soda.

“It happened to you too.  Even if those idiots didn’t realize they were targeting you, in your eyes, they were, weren’t they?”

“Yes.  I thought someone knew.  I thought they’d voted me King and you Queen to send me a message.  And I wanted to punch Figgins in the face for saying we were supposed to dance.”

“Yeah, that was kind of crazy.  And I kind of thought there was a message there for both of us too.  But of course, I had to make it all about _me_.” Kurt shook his head in disgust.  “I’m so screwed up sometimes.  I was all _come out and make a difference_ because I wanted them to see they were wrong.  And it never occurred to me that I was being just as unfair to you.  Well, I guess I found another thing to apologize for,” he smiled wryly and drained his diet soda. 

He took his plate to the sink and washed it, dropping it into the drainer.  Kurt tossed his soda can into the recycling bin and turned around. 

“Hey, weren’t we supposed to leave all that behind?” David smiled.

“Once we get it all on the table, then yes,” Kurt said quietly.  “It’s not all out on the table yet.”

“True.” David finished eating and cleaned up after himself.

“After you kissed me, I ran to Blaine because he was the only out kid I knew.  But I’d only met him the day before.  I brought a total _stranger_ into the dynamic and it probably made things worse for you.  It didn’t occur to me at the time, but I’ve done some growing up since then.  I realize that it was just as bad as outing you.”

“I was unbelievably pissed at you for that.”  David admitted.

“I know.  And again, I’m sorry.  I know you were scared.  And I think, granted, this is just my opinion, but I think that me bringing Blaine in is what made you say what you said.”

“Yes, it was.  I was desperate and stupid.”

“Desperate, yes.  Stupid, I don’t think so.  You’ve never been stupid.  Scary as shit, yes,” Kurt smiled.

David laughed.  “Yeah, I’ve heard that a few times.”

“I’m sorry for telling Blaine.”

David nodded an acceptance and smiled.  “I’m sorry I brought all that to you Valentine’s night.  I realize it was hitting you out of the blue.”

“It’s fine.  Actually, thanks to you, I did some evaluating and learned some things about myself.  And about Blaine.”

“So I finally did something right?” David laughed.

“Yes, you did.” Kurt smiled.  “Your declaration was very self-empowering for me.  You can tell your therapist that if you want.”

“Oh, no.  It’s bad enough I have to tell her that she was right.”

“She’s one of those, huh?  The ones that smirk at you when you take their advice and it works out?”

“Yeah, you sound like you know that from experience.” David said quietly.

“I do.  This is the first year of high school when I haven’t seen one regularly.”  Kurt sounded like he didn’t want to say why he had been seeing one, but David just knew.

“Before you start blaming yourself, it didn’t start with you.  It started because of issues before that,” Kurt replied before David could even comment.

David nodded his head but didn’t speak.

“You wanna go upstairs?  I promise to be good.” David smirked at him.

“I trust you.  Why not?  I think I need to see the Karofsky Den of Closeted Bear Cubs.”

“Shut up,” David shot back.  “Come on.” 

He was starting to get a stress headache, and he wanted something for that. 

David climbed the stairs ahead of him, nervous for no good reason.  He wasn’t about to do anything with Kurt that would make him uncomfortable about being in the same room with David.  But this was Kurt.  And he was going to be in his bedroom.  In an empty house. 

David opened the door to his room, and Kurt began his Hummel style perusal of it.  He could almost hear the mental critique of his choice in décor.

Shit.

Choice in décor?  Since when did David start even thinking about the word décor?  That was Hummel.  He was invading his brain again. 

Kurt sat at his desk and looked at David. 

“Be right back.  Getting something for this headache.”

Kurt nodded at him.

David walked into his bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet.  He took out the Tylenol from the cabinet and his hand brushed against the bottle that his parents didn’t know he still had. 

David stopped. 

And stared at the bottle.  They were prescription pain killers he’d been given after having surgery a year ago.  He kept them for a reason, and his parents had no idea.  If they did, they’d be more worried than they already were.  And it would disappoint them.  He knew it would.

He’d lost count of the number of times he’d stood here, in this same spot, and stared at that bottle. 

Contemplating taken every single last one of them.

He could remember the last time he’d thought about it too.  Just a few weeks ago. 

He was better now.  Better but not yet fully healed. 

His stupid fucking therapist, as he’d so affectionately named her, also didn’t know he had them.  Nobody did.  They weren’t even labeled correctly, and that too had been on purpose. 

He knew he should get rid of them. 

But he’d never been able to dump them into the toilet.  He’d tried before.  Many times.  He had opened the bottle and been almost prepared to pour them out and flush them away.  To get them out of sight completely.

But something always stopped him.  And then the bottle would go back into the cabinet. 

For the next time.

“Hey.”

Kurt’s voice startled him.  He was leaning on the door frame, arms crossed in front of him.

“Hey.” David shook out two Tylenol and took them with some water. 

“So what kind do you have in there?” Kurt asked quietly.

“What kind of what?” David looked at him, confused.

“Pills.  I think you have some.  And you were thinking about them, weren’t you?” Kurt moved closer and pulled himself up on to the counter. 

“How did you know that?” David looked at him in shock.

“I had some too.  For the longest time.  My dad didn’t know about it or I’m sure he would have cleaned out my entire medicine cabinet.”  Kurt replied quietly.

“You did?”

He didn’t seem weak to David.  Nothing about Kurt seemed weak.  Not like David, who was so fucking weak he couldn’t deal with a conversation with Nick.

“I still have The Trevor Project lifeline number on speed dial, David.  Just in case.” 

“Shit.”

“Yeah.  Shit.”

“Because of me?” David wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer but he had to ask.

“The first time I ever really considered killing myself didn’t have anything to do with you.” 

“When?”

“Freshman year.  After the first full week when I was thrown into the dumpsters every day by the football team and called fag and homo every morning.  That week was really bad.  Those thoughts were what led to the therapist.  I wasn’t even out yet.  But I mean, seriously?  When have I ever needed to be out?”  He smiled wryly at David.  “But even though I wasn’t out, the football team was going to make sure that I knew every day that it wasn’t okay with them.”

“The first time?” David caught on to the important part of that response.

“Well, for me there have always been little thoughts like _they’d be so much better off without me_. Or _why do I even bother anymore_.  Or _life isn’t worth this._ Vague enough that they wouldn’t be considered actually contemplating it.  But often enough to make you remember.”

David nodded at him. 

“I divide them up in two different ways.  There are times when all I’ve done is stare at the bottle.  And then there were times when I actually picked the bottle up and opened it.  Had it in my hand.  Ready.  Those are the ones I consider actually _contemplating_ it,” Kurt was looking straight ahead, not at David.  

And fuck, did David know what that was like.  That sounded like him every day.  Lately though, his thoughts were more about staring at the bottle and less like putting it into his hand.  That was improvement, he was sure.

“So second time?”

“The second big time.  The time that led me to actually have the bottle in my hands?  That was after an incident with Finn last year.   He said some things that made me feel so bad about myself.  Of course, the self-loathing was already there.  The core of it anyway.  The things Finn said, they just made it worse.  I can’t blame all of it on him.  But that was the second time I actually had the bottle in my hand.”

“What did he say?” David, asked, unsure if he had the right.  But he asked anyway.

“Well, you remember Sam Evans?”

And boy, did David remember him.  Thanks to Evans and that ass of his, Santana had found out David’s secret.  There was no way he’d forget Evans.  Or his ass, he thought with an unexpressed smirk.

“Yeah, I remember him.”

“Well, I wanted to sing with him for Glee, and Finn came at me over it.  Saying that the year before when I’d had a crush on him, that I was no better than a stalker.  That I didn’t know when no meant no.  And that I was selfish for wanting to sing with him.  That being seen singing with me would be a death sentence for Sam.  And that I didn’t care about anything but getting Sam hurt or angry.  Shit like that.” 

“Damn.  Hudson said that?  Is that what you meant when you said being a stalker was established in sophomore year?”

“Yeah, he said that.  And yes, that’s what I was referring to.  A few days after the first incident, he used the word _faggy_ in my house, and my dad threw him out for it.  He’s adjusting now.  But sometimes I think there will always be something in Finn that won’t allow him to accept it.”

“He’s not the brightest.” David replied, leaning against the bathroom counter.

“No, he’s not.”

“Has there been a third?” David really needed to know this.  For some reason, he just really needed to know.

“Yes, but it’s not what you probably think it is.”

“My guess would be when I threatened to kill you.”

He could imagine that.  He could see Kurt standing there, just as David had done dozens of times, wondering if doing it would make everything better for everyone involved.  And his heart hurt at the thought of Kurt being in the same place in his life.

“You would be correct, but not the way you think,” Kurt smiled weakly at him.

“How so?”

“During those weeks, when you were pushing me into lockers and shit.  Those were just times that I looked at the bottle.  I never touched it.  And the _stare at the bottle and think about it_ times are way too plentiful to count.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Don’t get me wrong.  You scared the shit out of me.  But that was the thing.  You _just_ scared me.”

“What do you mean?”

“That night.  After you threatened me.  That was one of the most important nights of my life.”

“Why?”

“Because that was the night I took the bottle out of the cabinet and poured the pills down the toilet.”

“You did?” David gasped.

He wished he could get to that point.  He was tired of always seeing them there when he opened the cabinet.  But there was always a pull.  A pull that wouldn’t let go of him.  It dragged him back over and over until he thought he’d go fucking crazy.

“Yes, and would you like to know why?”

“Yes, of course I want to know.” 

“Because hearing you say those words to me.  That you would kill me…” Kurt’s voice trailed off.

David knew he flinched, but Kurt didn’t seem to pay attention to it. 

God, it sounded so much worse when Kurt said it out loud.  He’d never regretted anything more in his life.  This boy, who had taught him so much about being himself and being proud.  This boy who was more than David could ever imagine being.  This boy that David wasn’t sure but was also almost sure that he loved. 

David had _threatened_ him.  Threatened to take away his life simply for being what David was too scared to be.  Maybe Kurt had forgiven him, but David wondered if he’d ever forgive himself for it. 

“They scared me but they also set me free,” Kurt reached out and wiped tears off David’s cheek. 

He hadn’t even realized he was crying.  When had that shit started?  David brushed a hand across his face and looked up at Kurt. 

“How?”

“Because I knew then that I really didn’t want to die.”


	7. Chapter 7

“You what?” David looked shocked. 

“I said.  When you said that, I knew that I didn’t really want to die.  Because I was willing to do whatever I had to do to keep that from happening.  So how could I even imagine that I wanted to die?  At least, that was my thought process at that time.  On that day.  And I got rid of the pills.  Because of you.”  Kurt smiled at him. 

David was trying to avoid him.  Kurt could tell by his mannerisms.  He shifted on his feet, and he turned to look out into his bedroom.  He was definitely trying not to look at Kurt.

“David, I’m not saying that after that I never thought about it.  But it was a turning point for me.  Before that, I tried to get rid of them.  I knew I needed to.  But they were like a safety net.  Just there.  Waiting for me.  But when I realized that I’d do something to protect myself from you, I realized that I really wanted to live.  And that was enough for me.  I still keep the lifeline in my phone.  And I still have those fleeting thoughts.  And they are very rare now.  But at that time, it was a step that was monumental for me.  And you were the catalyst for that.”

David smiled at him.  “I wish I could get rid of mine.”

“You will.  But you know what?  You are the only person who knows this about me.  Not even Blaine.  I told him that I had thought about it.  He knew I had the number in my phone.  But I never actually told him about the pills.  So, if he and Dad never knew I had them, they of course don’t know about that monumental step.”

Kurt had a feeling that it was something David needed to hear.  If anything good could be found about David’s behavior the previous year, it could be this. 

If David could just accept it as a silver lining in the cloud.  And he wanted David to find this silver lining, because if he didn’t, he’d torture himself forever.  And Kurt couldn’t bear to see that.  He needed David to know that something he had done had helped Kurt, not just hurt.

“Thank you.  For telling me that,” David whispered.

“Thank you for listening.  Now, tell me yours.” Kurt glanced in the direction of the medicine cabinet. 

“Pain pills from a surgery about a year ago.  I have probably had them in my hand at least ten times, maybe more.  Once was when Azimio found out.  He won’t speak to me anymore.  And his parents, people I’ve known since I was five years old, no longer want me in their home.  He and I had a fight, and I came home and grabbed them.  Opened them and even shook some of them into my hand.  But I didn’t take them.  I thought to myself, fuck them.  But I put the pills back in the bottle.  I should have flushed them…” David’s voice was husky and quiet.

“But you couldn’t.  It feels like you need them to be there.  Waiting for you.  Doesn’t it?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, that’s it exactly.  I knew you were able to get into my head, Hummel, but this is freaky.”

Kurt shrugged and smirked, “I’m just that good, that’s all.” 

He grinned at David, and the boy actually smiled.  A bright smile that warmed Kurt to the bone. 

“So, other times?” Kurt asked quietly.

“Before I told my parents.  I thought it would be easier on them if they never knew.  If I just left.  Went away.  Got away before I could disappoint them.” 

“But you haven’t.  Right?”

“No, I was crazy to doubt them.  Especially my dad.  He said he thought something was going on when I started bullying you.  He wondered if this was it, but he didn’t ask.  He said he was waiting for me to tell him.  Mom just hugged me and said she loved me.  And Lena kind of squealed and proceeded to ask me when I was going to bring home a hot guy.”

“I love your sister already,” Kurt laughed.  “She sounds adorable.”

“She is.  But as annoying as hell.  As she should be, I guess.” David closed the medicine cabinet. 

“Wait.  Can I ask something?” Kurt looked at the mirrored cabinet door.

“What?”

“After today.  If I hadn’t been here, would you have picked up the bottle?  Think about it for a minute.”

David stared at the mirror, hands on the edge of the sink, and then he turned to Kurt.

“Probably.  Yes.  Today was one of those kinds of days,” David replied quietly.

“But you also want to throw them out right?  Flush them?” Kurt asked, fidgeting on the counter.

“Yes.” 

“But you can’t right?”  Kurt knew what the answer would be.

“No.  I don’t think I can.”

“May I do it?” Kurt asked quietly.

He wanted them out of David’s sight.  He wanted David to want them out of his sight. 

Kurt would never be able to sleep at night knowing that the pills were there.  And maybe that was selfish.  But if it kept David from using them, then he’d be as selfish as he could possibly be. 

Granted, if David was still suicidal, there were other ways. 

But this way, this way was real.  It hit home.  It was right in front of both of them.  And it needed to be dealt with if David was going to deal with this outing shit that happened this week.

David looked like he wanted to argue but also like he wanted to beg Kurt to do it.  What he chose to do was nod his head silently.

Kurt opened the cabinet and looked at him.  “Which one?” 

David picked up the bottle and handed it to Kurt. 

Kurt opened it and looked inside.  “Labeled wrong too, huh?  Slick.  I didn’t even think to do that with mine.  I just figured I could talk my way out if Dad found them.”

“You probably could have,” David smirked. 

“True.  I do have him wrapped around my finger,” Kurt smiled.

“I imagine you have a lot of people wrapped around your finger,” David’s voice was low and shaky.

“You would think, wouldn’t you?  With my irrepressible charm and wit.  But alas,” Kurt sighed dramatically but laughed when David rolled his eyes. 

“So modest, too.” David grinned. 

“I’m going to flush these now.  Okay?” Kurt dropped down off the counter and crossed the bathroom behind David.  He paused over the toilet and looked up at David. 

David nodded, and Kurt poured them into the toilet and flushed them down. 

And that felt very good.  Like a weight was lifted.  And they weren’t even his pills.  He couldn’t even guess what David was feeling at the moment. 

Maybe a weight was off him too.  Or maybe he regretted letting Kurt do it. 

“You okay?” Kurt asked. 

David nodded.  “I’m fine.  Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Now, can I ask something else?”

“Of course.”

“When it gets bad, called Trevor.  Or me.  Or talk to your parents.  Someone.  Not this.  Don’t do this valiantly struggling on your own shit.  It doesn’t become you, David.” Kurt smiled at him. 

“Okay.  I will.  I promise.” 

“Okay, I think that’s enough teenage angst for the afternoon.  When do your parents get home?” Kurt brushed his hands down his thighs and walked back into David’s bedroom.

“We have quite a few hours actually.  It’s just after one right now.  Mom gets home after five and dad won’t get home until just after six.”  David followed him and sat down on his bed. 

He looked nervous.  Like the whole discussion had rattled him.  And it probably had because it had rattled Kurt some. 

“So what do we do?  If I go home, Carole will know I skipped.  Although my brilliant step-brother will probably tell her that when he notices I’m not there.” Kurt walked over to the window and looked out. 

“We could watch a movie if you want.”

“Okay, that’s fine. What movies do you have?” Kurt sat down on the desk chair. 

“You want to go back downstairs?  The couch is more comfortable than the chairs in here.”

It went unsaid that they probably shouldn’t watch it from the bed.  Kurt doubted that David was ready to have that much contact if they were just friends.  And Kurt didn’t want to do anything to lead him on.  He didn’t want to hurt David.

“That’ll work.  Do you have popcorn?” Kurt hoped they did.  Movies required it.  It was Kurt law.

“Of course.  Let’s go.”

Kurt followed him out and into the hallway.  “The Den of Closeted Bear Cubs suits you.  The actual room I mean.  Not the title,” Kurt laughed as they went down the stairs. 

“I don’t think I’m classified as closeted anymore,” David responded without turning around. 

“Probably not.  The Den of the Bear Cub then?  Will that work?”

“How appropriate.  What’s yours called?”

“Mine is the The Lair of the Out and Proud Twink.” Kurt grinned behind him and waited. 

David tripped down the stairs when he started laughing.  “It is not!”

“No, I just made that up, but since it was a hit, I think I’ll keep it.”

“I can see your dad’s face if you say that to him.”  David said as he walked past the couch.

“Oh my god, that would be hilarious.  Remind me to tell him when you come over,” Kurt grinned and plopped down on the couch. 

David went into the kitchen, presumably to make the popcorn, and Kurt sat, smiling for some unknown reason. 

This was better.  Less tense than the discussion.  He could do this. 

Kurt felt comfortable here.  Much more comfortable than the times he’d been to Blaine’s house.  It was ironic.  Blaine was out and proud, but Kurt couldn’t visit his house when his dad was there because Kurt had to be kept hidden.  Here, it was different.  He didn’t feel like he’d be attacked if David’s parents came through the door unexpectedly.  He could relax. 

David came back with a bowl of popcorn and two more sodas, dropping the diet one next to Kurt. 

“The nectar of my life,” Kurt popped open the can and took a drink.  “Diet Coke fixes everything.” Kurt nodded as he said the words, convinced of their innate righteousness.

“If you say so.  Diet Coke tastes like crap to me.”

Kurt gasped dramatically, “David, I’m not sure we can be friends if you continue to bad mouth my nectar.”

“That was such a gay comment to make.” David went over to the entertainment center and browsed the movies. 

Kurt threw his head back against the couch and laughed.  “Yes, it was wasn’t it?  That was great.”

He had missed making jokes and comments that were classified as “gay.”  Blaine had disapproved of them.  He felt he and Kurt should be above that type of behavior.  Blaine was really just an eighty year old man in a sixteen-year-old’s body.  Kurt used to be much more relaxed and smart-assed.  He missed that about himself.  And it felt good to get that part of himself back.

“What do you want to watch?  I don’t have many musicals.”

“Many?  As in, you do have _some_?  As in you _have_ musicals?  As in _how_ do you have musicals?”

The concept was defeating Kurt’s understanding.  He really hadn’t expected David to suggest a musical.

“As in my mother and sister, Fancy.  We have some musicals.  Geez.”  He tapped through the DVD cases.  We have West Side Story.”

“Oh, hell no.” Kurt responded immediately.  “Absolutely not.”

“That was a strangely forceful response to a movie choice.  What did Tony and Maria ever do to you?”

“Oh god, you have no idea.” Kurt frowned at the DVD case.

“Okay, there is a story there I just have to know about.  But you can tell me in a minute.  How about Flower Drum Song?  It’s my sister’s favorite.”

“That’ll work.  I haven’t seen that in a long time.” Kurt agreed and put some popcorn into his mouth. 

David pushed the DVD into the player and grabbed the remote.  He sat down next to Kurt, and he pushed play when the DVD finished loading.  David turned to Kurt and smirked at him. 

“Okay, what did Tony and Maria do?”

“I’m not sure it’s something you really want to know.” Kurt hesitated. 

Ever since he’d found out what Blaine had discussed with Artie and Rachel, he’d been angry, about it.  But he was also angry at himself for caving just a few days later.  He wondered which one he was angrier about actually.  His own behavior or Blaine’s?

“It’s West Side Story.  How bad could it be?”

“I’m referring to the West Side Story McKinley did.  Not the movie,” Kurt stared at the screen in front of them.

“Oh, I didn’t know you guys did that.  Did you have a part?” David turned to him.

“Yeah, Officer Krupke.  I auditioned for Tony though.”

“Who got Tony?”

Kurt rolled his head toward David and glared.  “Who do you think got it?”

“Ah.  Bland?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s what you have against Tony?”

“It’s not just that he got it.  I kind of knew he’d get it.  He auditioned for a different part.  But they actually asked him to read for Tony.  Because he auditioned with one of Tony’s songs.  He told me he didn’t do it intentionally.  But he could have auditioned with a song that wasn’t Tony’s,” Kurt replied. 

He didn’t think he was ready to admit how Artie, Bieste and Ms. Pillsbury thought Kurt’s audition was funny.  He didn’t feel like humiliating himself in front of David at the moment. 

“That sucks.”

“Yes, but that’s not all.  But it has to do with sex.  How comfortable are you talking about that?”

Kurt was strangely comfortable with it.  Before he’d had sex, you couldn’t pay him to talk about it.  Not being a virgin did wonders for a guy’s comfort level with sexual discussions.  He’d never had a gay guy to talk about Blaine with.  He’d only been able to talk about Blaine to his girl friends.  And they’d been understandably unhelpful with anything regarding sex. 

Finn would have stroked out at the idea, and his father had been out as an option while he was dating Blaine.  Now that he wasn’t, he’d been more comfortable discussing it with his dad and Carole.

He’d often wondered if Noah would have been a good person to talk to about it, but deep down, he’d been scared that Noah would use that against him in the future. 

Even knowing that he was talking to David about it, it didn’t make him feel weird, and he wondered if it should. 

“How does Bland getting the role of Tony have _anything_ in the _world_ to do with sex?”

Kurt laughed.  David looked dumbfounded. 

“We didn’t turn it into some pornographic display, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Kurt grinned and took a drink of his soda.

“That’s comforting,” David smirked.

“Blaine didn’t really start getting interested in sex until after he got the role of Tony.”

“What?  How does a guy date _you_ and not be interested in sex?  That’s insane.” David’s mouth was agape. 

Kurt grinned at him.  “Thank you.  That’s the best compliment I’ve ever had.”

And Kurt just continued to grin as the blush spread all over David’s face.  Apparently, he’d just realized what he’d said. 

“It’s okay, David,” Kurt smirked at him. 

“Shut up.” David shot back.

“If I shut up, then you don’t get the rest of the story,” Kurt reasoned. 

David sighed and stared at the screen.  “Fine.  Go on.”

“Well, Blaine got strangely interested in sex.  Like more so than he’d ever done before.  And he kept talking about taking chances and being spontaneous.  At very random times and with very cryptic comments.  Then came Scandal’s.”

David’s eyebrow rose. 

“That night we talked.  That’s the night I’m talking about.”

“When Bland was all over Sebastian.” David frowned.  “He didn’t cheat on you, did he?”

“I don’t know actually.  I think he had been recently.  Like right before we broke up.  But I don’t have any proof.  At that time, I don’t think so.” 

“So, what happened?”

“Well, you know he was drunk,” Kurt replied and David nodded.  “He tried to get me to have sex with him in the backseat of my car.  And he didn’t really want to take no for an answer.” 

Kurt paused, staring at the screen, waiting to see how David would respond.  When there was no sound, Kurt turned to find David staring at him, angrier than Kurt had ever seen him. 

“He did what?” David ground out.

“Calm down,” Kurt responded.  “He didn’t get his way.  But he got mad and stalked off, and I assume he walked home.  I drove home by myself.” 

“That asshole,” David muttered. 

“I agree.”

“Why did you stay with him?”

“Because I was in love.  At least I think I was.  I don’t even know anymore.  Well, I’m not proud of this, but a few days later I caved.  And we had sex.”

David closed his eyes, and Kurt regretted telling him.  But then again, he didn’t.  He wanted David to really understand the main reason he and Blaine hadn’t worked.  He didn’t want there to be any confusion about that. 

Even though Kurt was enamored with what David had done for him, David was not the main reason he and Blaine weren’t together anymore.  David needed to know that.  Kurt needed David to know that.

“Fucking asshole.”

“Would that be me or Bland?” Kurt grinned.

“You know who I’m talking about,” David growled.

“It gets worse Yogi.  Can you handle it or are you going to go all Incredible Hulk on me?”

“How does it get worse?” David groaned. 

“A few weeks later I found out that he and Rachel had made a pact to lose their virginities to me and Finn in order to play Tony and Maria more realistically.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

David, completely silent, got up and stalked off toward the kitchen. 

Kurt sat back and watched him, debating on whether following was a good idea or not.  He seemed to have a better handle on anger now, but Kurt didn’t want to push his luck too far. 

Kurt decided following is what David needed.  He got up and trailed David’s footsteps into the kitchen and found him leaning over the island, hands gripping the edges, and his eyes closed.

“Hey Hulk, you okay?”

David smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I just found out that a boy who _transferred_ to get away from me after I _kissed_ him hooked up with a guy who nearly sexually assaulted him.  And then I find out that he went back to the bastard and fucked him.  Only to find out later that the asshole he slept with did it to become a better actor.  Yeah.  I’m fucking fine.”

Well.  Okay.  Yeah. 

Kurt guessed looking at it from that point of view, it wasn’t pretty.  He walked over to the island and hopped up onto it. 

“Actually I transferred after the threat, not the kiss, if you want to be specific,” Kurt said softly.

“Not the fucking point, Kurt.  And do you have a fetish with sitting on furniture?”  David snapped.

“Forget the fetish.  Who are you really pissed at?  Blaine or me?”

“Honestly, both of you.”

“I get that.  Look, I’m not proud of it.  If that makes any difference to you.  And there’s a whole lot about my relationship with Blaine that isn’t pretty.  But I don’t want you thinking that I only broke up with him because of you.  You were part of the reason.  But there are reasons why I need to take this slowly.  Reasons you will only understand if you know how it was between Blaine and me.  If you can’t handle that, then okay.  Just tell me.”

“I want to be able to handle it.  But I’m not sure I can,” David stared ahead, avoiding Kurt’s gaze.

“Fair enough.  I just won’t talk about Blaine then.  But if I don’t, then I don’t think you’ll really get it.  And that’s okay.  But just know that this waiting that you want to do.  Waiting for me to be ready.  It’ll get frustrating for you.  If you can’t handle that, and you want to find someone else.  Then, I’ll support you in that.  You deserve to be selfish, too, remember.  You deserve to be happy.  But I can’t just jump into something with you.  I’m not wired that way.  I wish I was because being able to do that would be very freeing.  But it wouldn’t be me.”

“I know,” David spoke, seemingly calmer than before.  “Okay, I don’t feel like pounding his face in anymore.  You happy?”

“You’re lying,” Kurt smiled. 

“It’s just that.  From the first time I saw you two….you remember?”

He did.  _Is this your boyfriend, Kurt_?  On the stairs at McKinley.  The day he’d really messed up by bringing Blaine into the dynamic between him and David.

It had been the first time he could ever remember hearing David actually use his name. 

“I thought that he was _it_ for you.  And I was okay with it, because I thought he made you happy.  The other night, after you told me you were with him.  I knew I had to go.  I couldn’t get in between that if it was what you wanted.  What made you happy.  But now.  I get to find out now that he was the very douchebag that I’ve always known he was.  And you _let_ him be that.  You stayed with _that_.  And it fucking pisses me off.”

“What do you mean the douchebag you’ve always known he was?” Kurt asked, sure that David knew something about Blaine that Kurt didn’t know.

“Nothing.”

“It’s _not_ nothing.  What is it?”

“Why do you think that I came to you, out of the blue, after all this time?  Didn’t you wonder why I would think that you were available after not having spoken to you in months?” David looked stricken, and Kurt wanted to hug him until that expression left his face. 

“Yes, I wondered.” 

“Think about it, Kurt.”

It didn’t take long to put a two and two together that would equal Blaine being a douchebag. 

“He’d been going to Scandal’s without me.  With Sebastian.”  He didn’t ask.  He didn’t have to.

David nodded.

Kurt snorted with derision, but it was directed at himself and not David or even Blaine.  “I really should have known.  He never could keep his eyes off Sebastian.  And every denial was said with a hesitation, and he’d look away.  How long?”

“Consistently, for a few weeks.  But before that, going back months, they’ve been together there off and on.  Always arriving and leaving together.  I always went hoping that you’d tag along some night, and I’d get to talk to you again.”

Kurt smiled at him.  “You could have just called me.”

“I almost did.  Hundreds of times.  You just don’t know.”

“Well, now you can.  I’m sorry I didn’t call you.  I don’t have a good reason.  I have a reason, but it’s not a good one.”

“Bland related reason?”

“Yes.”

“You can tell me.”

“He said if I called you I’d just be leading you on and hurting you.  So I didn’t.”

“I can see that.  It’s fine.  We just fucked up our timing.”

“Yes, we did.  So in other news, have there been any other guys you’ve been interested in?” Kurt smirked at him. 

“Nice transition into the newsy topic called _none of your fucking business_ ,” David laughed and turned to the fridge.  He opened it and took out another soda.  “Want one?”

“No, I’m fine.  And why isn’t it my business?” Kurt grinned. 

“Just because you plan to torture me with all the Bland news from your sordid history doesn’t mean you get the same thing from me.”

“Come on.  Just tell me one.  It can be a guy from the new school.  One I don’t know.” Kurt pouted. 

“Nope.  Lips are sealed.” David retorted. 

“Daaavvvviiid.”  Kurt pulled out the whine.  It usually worked on people. 

“Don’t push me, Hummel.” David joked.

“Don’t push _me_ , Karofsky!” Kurt puffed out his chest and lowered his voice.  It was a bad imitation of David, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Was that supposed to be intimidating?” David was leaning over, laughing his ass off and grabbing the island for support.

“Maybe.  I was shooting for intimidating with a touch of mockery.  That was my motivation for the scene.” Kurt grinned.

“Academy Award winning performance there,” David took a sip of his soda.  “Okay, I’ll tell you _one_.  And I’ll tell you someone that you know.  But you can’t breathe a word of it.”

Kurt settled himself on the island and grinned.  “Okay, who?”

“Evans.”

“Oh, hell no.  He’s mine!  If anybody gets the heterosexual trouty mouthed blonde with a well buried touch of bisexuality in him, it’s me!” Kurt laughed at the expression on David’s face.

“He’s yours?” David had gone very pale.

“Calm down, Yogi.  He’s not really _mine_ , David.  I just called dibs on him back when he first moved here.  As far as I know, he’s either very heterosexual or the bisexual side is hidden so well that even he isn’t even aware it’s there.”  Kurt grinned.

David laughed and nudged him.  “I wasn’t really interested in him.  Just his ass,” he smiled as he sipped his soda.

Kurt couldn’t believe he was having this discussion with David Karofsky.  He was objectifying one of his best friends with another gay man.  No, not just another gay man.  With David Karofsky. 

This was hilarious.  He should feel bad, but he had a feeling that Sam would feel somewhat proud of this side of Kurt.  Once David was completely out, he’d have to share this with Sam.  He’d get a kick out of it.

“He does have a nice ass,” Kurt agreed.  “I was really convinced he was gay when he moved here.  But he threw my gaydar completely off.  I wonder if he broke it.  Cause I didn’t sense it from you either.”

“Probably.  But he could be bisexual.”

Kurt didn’t like the look of interest on David’s face.  He looked almost hopeful.  And Kurt didn’t _like_ that he _didn’t_ like it.  It was none of his business who David was interested in if they were only friends.

“He is strangely comfortable around gay men.   It would not shock me if that were true.”

“His ass is how Santana found out about me,” David said.

“Oh, really?  That could be taken a few ways, David.”

Kurt smiled when David blushed.  It was nice being the person making someone blush instead of being the one who turns red with embarrassment all the time.

“I meant I was checking out his ass, and she saw me.  She put two and two together and the Bully Whips were formed.”

“The Bully Whips Beard Alliance,” Kurt nodded.  “Thank you for that.  I wish that had continued.  I wish you hadn’t transferred actually.  I asked about you.  Discreetly, of course.  But nobody knew where you went.”

“I planned it that way.”

“I can understand that.  It was very witness protection program of you.  I was impressed.”

“Thank you,” David bowed.

Kurt hopped down off the island and went into the living room.  “I probably need to be going.  Right now is about the time when Finn will be informing Carole that I wasn’t at school half the day.” 

“Okay.  Next time you can meet my mom and sister.”

“Sounds good.”  Kurt grabbed his stuff.  “Hey, you okay about today?”

“Yes.  I figured tomorrow will be worse.  But I’ll call you if it is.”

“Okay.  Good.”

David followed him and stood at the door while Kurt opened it to leave. 

Kurt paused, unsure why he was still just standing there.  It was like he didn’t really want to leave.  So he was avoiding it. 

“Fancy?”

Kurt turned to him and waited.  “Yes?”

David leaned over, pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, “For the record, Evans’s ass has nothing on yours.  Yours is perfect.” 

Then he pulled his head back and grinned at Kurt. 

“Thanks.  But I know _that_.” Kurt winked.  “And I have to correct something else I said to you.”

David’s brow furrowed.  “What?”

“Don’t you see the pattern?  Finn.  Sam.   You.”

“What pattern?”

“All three jocks.  I lied to you.  You are very much my type, Hamhock.  It was always Blaine who wasn’t.”

Kurt smirked and headed for her car.

He looked back when he got his hand on the door, and he smiled when he saw that David was just standing there.  Watching him leave. 

“Call me later?” Kurt asked loudly.

David nodded his head and Kurt got in the car. 

This was going to be an interesting friendship. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Kurt’s head buried into the pillows on Finn’s bed. 

When would he learn?  He couldn’t make the voice stop.

When would he realize that Finn would never be capable of mature conversation?

“So wait.  You broke up with Blaine because he wanted _sex_ too much?” Finn looked astonished.  “That’s actually a problem between two guys?  I mean like really?  I know girls can’t stand it when a guy only wants in their pants all the time.  But really?”

Finn was staring at him from the floor, where he was engaged in epic combat with his fellow xbox addicts.

“Why me?  What did I do to deserve this?” Kurt murmured into the pillows.

“That’s weird dude.  I’m just saying.”  Finn waved his hand and picked up his xbox controller and put on the attached headset.

“That’s not why we broke up, Finn.  Focus.  It wasn’t just about that.” 

Really.  Why did he try? 

“Man, if Rachel had done that for me for Valentine’s Day, I’d have been in heaven.”

“Yes, because you’re you, Finn.  Not me.”

“Most guys would have been happy.” Finn argued.

“And I believe you made it clear that I’m not most guys.”

“True.  But I’m just saying.”

“Would you stop?  It wasn’t just about that.  I felt like I couldn’t be me around him.  Without listening to how much he disapproved of me.”

“What do you mean?” Finn looked confused. 

Which was actually normal, now that Kurt thought about it.  Finn did _confused_ better than anybody Kurt had ever met.

“It’s a long story.  It might distract you from killing.  Are you prepared to get knifed unexpectedly when you aren’t paying attention to the game?”

“Hell yeah!” A very small tinned voice called out from Finn’s headset. 

“Tell Noah I said shut up,” Kurt muttered from the pillows. 

“Puck, Kurt said shut up,” Finn repeated into the microphone.  “And you aren’t going to knife me Puckerman, so back the fuck off.”

Then Finn’s player dropped to the ground onscreen in a disgusting explosion of blood and guts. 

“Shit!” Finn shouted.  “You fucker.  I’m gonna get you back.”

“Nevermind, Finn.  Go back to the annihilation.”  Kurt stood at the doorway and watched his step-brother get killed again. 

He could almost hear Noah’s unrestrained glee at dropping Finn’s character to the ground yet again.  It was too bad that Kurt didn’t actually enjoy the games.  He was good at them. 

He’d bet Noah would never guess that he’d killed Finn more times during that game than Noah ever had.  Not that Finn would ever admit _that_ to anybody.

“Didn’t you want to finish talking?” Finn asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“No, I’m good.  You get your revenge on Noah.  Knife him for me at least once, okay.”

Finn flashed him a dopey grin and nodded.  “You got it bro.”

Kurt closed the door behind him, and he returned to his room.

Someday, when David was comfortable enough to let the McKinley students know about his sexuality, he’d invite him over to play video games with Finn.  David could use a friend with the same interests who he didn’t have to hide from. 

He just hoped that David made it through this at his school first. 

It could get better for him.  Or it could get worse. 


	9. Chapter 9

“Why won’t you talk to me about this?” Blaine asked, no _begged_ , for the third time today.  

His ex-boyfriend had caught up with him by fourth period, and was trying to trap him into talking.  He didn’t want to.  What he wanted was to get this day over with and go over to David’s house to talk some more.  David was fun, and he wasn’t high-maintenance like Blaine. 

Everyone of Kurt’s friends assumed that _he_ was the high maintenance one in the relationship.  But Kurt’s issues were different than Blaine’s . 

With his ex-boyfriend, they had to constantly talk about his talent, his solo choices and why those choices were perfect, the drama of Finn Hudson, his dislike of Sam Evans.  Stuff that grated on Kurt’s nerves.  And he was always expected to side with Blaine.  Even if he thought Blaine was wrong. 

He could imagine that it was what Finn went through dating Rachel.  Blaine was a male Rachel Berry. 

“Blaine, drop it.  I told you everything I needed to tell you the other night.”

Kurt shut the door to his locker and walked away.

And was followed again.  By Blaine. 

When would this boy understand the concept of an EX-boyfriend? 

“Stop following me, Blaine.”

“No. Not until you talk to me.” Blaine’s voice was sharp and filled with irritation.

“I don’t want to talk.  We broke up.  Deal with it.  Let Sebastian sooth your damaged ego.  Whatever.  Just leave me alone about it.”

“I don’t get it.  I don’t get being dumped because I wanted to have sex on Valentine’s Day.” Blaine said quietly, looking back and forth down the hall.

“It wasn’t just that.  It was a lot of things.  That I told you about that night.”

“Cryptic shit I didn’t understand, you mean?” Blaine shot back. 

And everybody thought Kurt could be bitchy.  Obviously, they hadn’t seen this side of Blaine Anderson before. 

“You aren’t stupid, Blaine.  You know exactly what I was talking about.”

“You said I complain about stuff you do but then I go do the same thing.  What did you mean?”

“Do you really want to do this here?” Kurt stopped in the hallway and looked back at him. 

Blaine nodded at him. 

“Okay, how far back do you want me to go to find examples?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I’ve got examples from before we even dated, Blaine.”

Blaine looked truly astonished. 

His face was worse than Finn’s had been the night before during the _discussion that must not be continued_. 

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“Let’s see.  There’s the whole ‘ _you need to try harder to fit in, Kurt_ ,’ attitude.  Followed closely by the ‘ _but don’t try so hard that you take any solos from me’_.  Or how about, the ‘ _don’t be so dramatic, put your hands down while you sing’_ attitude, followed by your ‘ _history of in-competition arm flailing dramatics’_.  Or there’s the ‘ _your sexy faces make you look like you have gas_ , _Kurt_ ,’ followed by the ‘ _faces that you make when you’re singing that make you look like you’re crying because someone’s beat you with Wes’s gavel.’_ ”

Kurt used air quotes to emphasize all the important phrases for Blaine. 

“What?” Blaine was oblivious. 

Kurt knew he was.  He’d always known this, so anything he said about their relationship would hit Blaine out of the blue.  Because Blaine just didn’t think like that. 

He didn’t realize when he was being a douche.   At least, Kurt hoped he didn’t realize it.  Because who wanted to face that they’d been in a relationship with a douche who knew exactly how he was treating his boyfriend.  That would definitely be worse.

He’d rather just believe that Blaine was oblivious. 

“You see?  This right here is part of the problem.  You are oblivious to when you are being mean.  But it doesn’t lessen the hurt that your actions cause.  It’s still being mean, even when you don’t think you’re being mean.”

“I’m mean?” Blaine looked distraught.

“Sometimes, yes.  Unfortunately, it’s more often than it’s not.  I put up with it because I knew you were oblivious and you don’t realize what you’re doing sometimes.  At least, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt about that.  I’d rather not think that you knew you were being mean and did it anyway.”

“I don’t get how I’ve been mean.” Blaine said quietly. 

“Let me give you another example.  Let’s look at this in another way.  I’ll use Sebastian as an example.”

“Okay,” Blaine nodded.

“Let’s say you and Sebastian are just friends.  Because, that’s real life, right?”

Blaine blushed and fidgeted.

And then Kurt _knew_ for sure that there was a lot more between them than anything Blaine would admit to.  This, combined with the information David had given him, was enough proof for Kurt.  And he knew he’d done the right thing by breaking up with him.

“Let’s say that you and Sebastian are at a party.  And he’s drinking but you aren’t.  I know, that’s out of character for you, but go with it.” 

Blaine couldn’t do parties without getting sloppy drunk with a side of slutty and handsy.

Blaine nodded again, listening to Kurt’s example.

“Let’s say that the people at the party are playing Spin the Bottle.” 

Blaine paled, knowing where this was going. 

“Let’s say that you got to watch a very drunk Sebastian make out with one of your best friends.  In front of you.  But you’re just friends, right?  Because Sebastian doesn’t feel that way about you.  He’s all mixed signals and flirting.  He’s sex, not relationships.  Because he doesn’t know how to be a boyfriend.  How would that make you feel?”

“Like shit.”

“Bingo.  I told you I liked you.  I told you I wanted you to sing to me on Valentine’s Day last year.  I essentially poured my heart out to you, and you turned me down.  You wanted to be friends only.  And then days later, you got drunk and made out with Rachel at a party.  And then got mad at me for being upset at you about it.”

“But it wasn’t fair for you to get mad at me for not being sure of my sexuality.”

“I wasn’t mad at you for being confused.  I was mad at you for how you made me feel.”

“How did I make you feel?” Blaine asked quietly.

“Like I wasn’t worth your time.  You had a friend.  A _gay_ friend who wanted to be with you.  Wanted you to be his boyfriend, and you said no.  You weren’t interested because you didn’t feel that way about me.  But you actually considered dating Rachel after kissing her.  A _girl_ you barely knew held more appeal for you than I did.  And you’re _gay_.  How would it make you feel if a gay guy you liked, like Sebastian, said no to you, but then turned around and made out with a girl?  Like Santana, for example.”

“But that would never happen,” Blaine replied quietly.  He looked uncomfortable with the example.

“Which part?”

Kurt was already mad, but if Blaine answered the way he was expecting, he might just _cut a bitch_.  That expression had never been a favorite of his, but at this moment, it described his feelings perfectly.

Blaine stopped.  “What do you mean which part?”

“Which part wouldn’t happen?  Finish your thought.”

Blaine looked at him, confused again.  Clearly, Blaine the Oblivious was back.  Not that he had ever actually left.

“What?”

“Which part wouldn’t happen, Blaine?  The Sebastian making out with Santana or the Sebastian _not_ making out with you.”

“Well, both really,” Blaine answered bluntly.  “But she’s gay.”

“Oh, really?  Santana may be a lesbian, but she loves a good make-out session.  She’d make out with Sebastian, I’m sure.”

“I don’t really understand how this example applies, Kurt.  It wouldn’t happen.”

“Right.  Because there’s no way Sebastian could resist you, right?”

Blaine blushed again. 

Yes, that had been _exactly_ what he was thinking. 

“This is one of the reasons I broke up with you.  You can’t imagine a situation in which someone _wouldn’t_ want you.  It never occurred to you that Jeremiah might not want you because it’s always about _you_.  You took me for granted because you didn’t think it was possible to lose me.  So you didn’t even try anymore.  After all, who could resist you, right?  It never occurs to you that someone else might want _me_.  That thought never seems to occur to _anybody_.”

Kurt turned away, not interested in hearing Blaine’s reply, and walked down the hallway.

That was the part that hurt the most. 

Blaine really _didn’t_ think anyone else would ever want Kurt.  

It didn’t help that Kurt had never been _openly_ wanted by anybody other than Blaine.  And even then, he’d had to wait months and sing a eulogy to a dead bird before Blaine had gotten his epiphany about Kurt. 

No Warbler had ever seemed interested.  But again, that might have been because Blaine had practically isolated him from any other student at Dalton Academy.  There may have been someone there who would have been interested, but he’d never had the opportunity to check that out.

Even during the incident had happened with David the year before, Blaine acted as if David had only been confused.  He’d mentioned that David had probably kissed Kurt because he was there, out and proud, and David had responded to that. 

At the time, Kurt had believed him, but it had also hurt to hear the words.  Blaine had been oblivious then, too.  Blaine was sure that David hadn’t really wanted Kurt.  Not like that.

And Kurt had believed him.  But now he knew differently. 

Because David still wanted him. 

And it felt good to be wanted. 

It felt good to be _special_ for something other than being Blaine Anderson’s boyfriend. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“White boy.  Blaine’s been upset for two days.  What’s going on and why aren’t you fighting to get him back?”  Mercedes dropped her books down on the table and sat down next to him in calculus class.

“What do you mean _get him back_?” Kurt looked up from his phone and frowned at her.

“What happened?  Why did he break up with you?  Finn said that you broke up with him but I knew that couldn’t be true.” She whispered to him.

Again with this? 

Yesterday, it was all they’d talked about all day. 

“Why couldn’t it be true?” Kurt was starting to think this was _Offend a Hummel Day_.

His friends used to be on _his_ side.  Before Blaine came.  Then all of a sudden, Blaine became the darling of New Directions, and nobody cared what Kurt thought about that. 

“Because this is Blaine we’re talking about.” Mercedes looked completely serious. 

“And?”

“And you’re crazy about him.”  Mercedes answered.

“And why is that?”  Kurt asked.  He wanted to know how others saw their relationship.

“Because he’s your prince.  Your knight in shining armor,” Mercedes sighed.

“Sure.  Whatever.  For _your_ information, I _did_ break up with him.  And I don’t want to talk about it.  I’ve been talking about it for two days.  To my father, Carole, Finn, and more.  I’m done talking.”

“You haven’t told me,” Mercedes accused. 

“Because you’ve been busy dealing with the whole Sam and Shane stuff,” Kurt replied quietly.

“Oh, right.” Mercedes sat back and looked at him.  “We don’t talk anymore.”

“I know.”  He said, not giving her a reason for it.

He did regret that they’d grown apart over the past few months.  But there were things about Mercedes that bothered him.  Attitudes she had.  Comments she made.  Things that made their eventual separation make more sense. 

He wasn’t sure he liked Mercedes the way he used to.  And honestly, it had been her issues about his lack of religion that had started the problem.

It also bothered him how she’d been playing with Sam.  Sam didn’t deserve it. 

“We should.”  Her expression didn’t match her words. 

He wasn’t sure she actually wanted to be as close as they’d been before.

“I know.”  He wasn’t sure _he_ did either.

And that was the end of the discussion. 

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Kurt was sitting with Rachel at lunch, wondering when his girl had completely lost her mind. 

Marrying Finn, as lovable as he could be sometimes, was crazy to begin with, but wanting to get married before the end of the school year was just insane.  He loved his step-brother, and his best friend, but they’d gone all sorts of crazy on him this year.

“I thought you said I wasn’t invited if I didn’t support you two getting married.  Why are you all concerned with me being your male bridesmaid?” Kurt looked at her seriously.

“You know I could never say no to you and Quinn.  You both have to be there.” 

Rachel was flipping through the wedding magazines she’d purchased the previous weekend.

“If we’re not, does that mean you won’t go through with it?  Because she and I can boycott if it will make you change your mind.” Kurt suggested quietly. 

He had reasons for not being supportive of the wedding, but he wondered if Quinn’s reasons were different than his.  He had theories, but no concrete proof. 

“Don’t be silly,” Rachel dismissed him.

“We could blackmail you.  I have people,” Kurt grinned.

“Like who?” Rachel smirked at him.

“I’ll go to Sebastian.  He’s got professional blackmailer written all over him.” Kurt replied.

“I could see that about him.  What could he possibly have on us though?” Rachel smiled.

“I don’t know.  Naked pictures of Finn wearing high heels?”  Kurt threw it out there, cringing at the mental picture it made.

Finn had been trying to avoid the conversation, but his head turned at Kurt’s words. 

“What the hell?”

“I’m just saying, Finn.” Kurt shrugged and grinned.  “Not that you’d need heels to be taller.  But how would I know whether or not you’ve taken pictures like that.” He smirked at his step-brother.

“Kurt!” Rachel slapped at his arm. 

“Well, I supposed _I_ could take them.  And then post them online,” Kurt grinned behind his can of soda.

Finn’s eyes widened in horror.  “What the hell, Dude?”

“And how would you even get him to put on the heels?” Rachel purred.

“Rachel, why aren’t you more concerned that he’s talking about taking naked pictures of me and putting them online?” Finn said accusingly.

“Because your brother isn’t a terrorist honey,” Rachel said smoothly and patted Finn’s arm.  “And even if he was, we don’t give in to terrorists.”

“I can see it now.  Anytime anyone googles Finn Hudson, there they would be.” Kurt shuddered at the thought.  “Unless you decide to not go through with the wedding, of course.” 

“Dude!” Finn stared at Kurt.

“Kurt!” Rachel said at the same time.

“I’m just saying.  I have people,” Kurt shrugged.

“What people?” Finn demanded.

“Evil terrorist people.” Kurt deadpanned.  “They have skills.  I have skills.  It works.” 

“Again.  I hate you.” Finn replied.

“I know.  But you love me too.” Kurt got up to throw away his leftovers.  “Just think about it.  What’s the hurry?  A wedding will still be special if it happens in five years, you know.” 

He glanced between them and left the cafeteria. 

On the way out, he pulled out his phone and stared at it. 

Kurt hadn’t heard from David all day, and he hoped that was a good sign.  He’d managed to survive yesterday’s scare, but it was hard to tell what the football team had planned for him today. 

He’d sent off a few texts, but David hadn’t answered them yet.  He was considering the idea of bailing out of class to call David, but he didn’t want to bother him if he was having an okay day. 

He headed off to his next class, stopping by his locker on the way.  When he got to the classroom, he slid into his seat next to the window and smiled at Sam.  He always sat next to Kurt in classes they had together so that Kurt could help him with the dyslexia caused him trouble. 

Sam smiled back, but he looked sad. 

“You okay?” Kurt asked him quietly.

“Not really.” Sam answered, obviously upset.

“What happened?”

Sam grimaced.  “The usual.  Mixed signals from Mercedes again.  First she says she wants me back.  Then she goes back to Shane.  Then she breaks up with him but doesn’t want me back.  Then she says she does.  Then she says no again.” 

Kurt tamped down on the anger he could feel rising for Mercedes.  Sam didn’t deserve to be played like this.  “I’m sorry.  If I could do something, I would.”

“I know.  Thanks.  Sometimes I think…” Sam stopped without finishing his thought. 

The teacher had walked in, and Sam sat back into his seat. 

They dropped the conversation.  But Kurt wondered what he’d been about to say. 

His phone buzzed with an incoming call.  From David. 

David didn’t usually call during school.  Not unless he texted first to warn Kurt. 

Kurt let the phone buzz as he got up to go to the teacher’s desk.  He whispered a request to step outside for family emergency reasons, and she nodded her head.

He stepped outside the door, but the phone had already stopped buzzing.

He scrolled to his missed calls and pressed the button to return the call. 

“David, you called me?” Kurt replied before the other boy could say hello.

“Kurt, it’s not David.  It’s his dad.  Kurt, David’s in the hospital.”


	10. Chapter 10

David opened his eyes to find his parents hovering over him, with worried faces and falling tears.  The smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils, and he attempted to take a deep breath.  But that backfired on him, when the pain came.

“Hey,” he groaned and fidgeted on the bed. 

“Hey, sweetie,” his mother cooed and brushed her hand over his cheek.  “Are you in pain?” 

“Yeah.  A lot actually,” David closed his eyes and stopped moving.  If he didn’t move, it was good. 

“I called Kurt.” He heard his father say. 

David nodded, without looking up at them. 

He didn’t know if he could handle Kurt seeing him like this.  So broken. 

“They’ll be in to give you something for the pain, honey,” his mother said, and he nodded again. 

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted us to call Sebastian.” Paul Karofsky said quietly.

“It’s fine if you did,” David whispered.

“Okay, talk to us.” Olivia Karosky demanded quietly.

“What do you know already?” David asked.

“That the coach found you on the floor in the locker room.  Unresponsive.  He didn’t tell us anything else.  He seemed to be evading it actually, like he didn’t want to tell us anything more.” His mother’s voice broke.

David looked up at her, and he found her crying.

“It was some guys on the football team.  Nick.  The one that saw me with Kurt.  He was harassing me yesterday and I skipped class for the rest of the day.  They were mad.  They had left me a “surprise” in the locker room and because I skipped yesterday, they didn’t get to have their fun.  When I got in there today, I saw it.  They’d put FAG on my locker.  They said they’d waited all day to catch me yesterday but I didn’t show up.  And they were mad about it.  It took half the team to take me down.”

He was almost proud of that.  It had taken at least six of them to actually subdue him.  He couldn’t remember how many else were there though.

He could still hear Nick telling them to make sure they didn’t actually kill him. 

 _We don’t need the mess that’ll cause,_ he’d said right before David had blacked out. 

His mother was sobbing now. 

And his head ached like a bitch.  All he wanted to do was sleep. 

“Can I sleep?” He wondered vaguely if he had a concussion. 

“Yes, but you do have a concussion.  So we’ll wake you up in a bit.”

“Okay.”  David felt himself drifting off.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“David,” a familiar voice called out to him, and he felt something shaking him slightly.

“What?” David replied without opening his eyes. 

His head hurt worse than when he’d gone to sleep.  He’d hate to find out how bad the light would hurt.

“It’s Kurt.”

“I know,” David murmured.  “Where am I?”

“The hospital.  They said you’d probably wake up confused.  The nurse said you can have more pain medicine in about thirty minutes.” 

“How long have I been asleep?” David opened one eye and grimaced at the brightness in the room.

“A few hours I think.  Your head’s killing you, isn’t it?” Kurt whispered and stood.

“Yes.” He tested opening the other eye, and the light hurt just as badly.  Shit. 

His head felt like it was going to explode. 

“Your parents are dealing with the police right now.  They want you to give them some names later if you can remember which ones did it.”

David nodded.  “Nick Raines was the leader.”

“I figured that.  I told them about him.”

“Thank you for coming here.” David closed his eyes and smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

“How long have you been here?” David turned his head just enough to look up at him.

Kurt had been crying.  His eyes were bloodshot and still watery.  And his face was pale, and he was scared.  Very obviously scared.

“About an hour.”

“I’m okay.  Don’t worry,” David said quietly.

“Who says I’m worrying about you?” Kurt smirked unconvincingly but he took David’s hand in his. 

David felt soothed by the motion of Kurt’s thumb brushing over the top of his hand.  It was nice.  Relaxing. 

Kurt holding his hand worked better than pain medicine.  Not that he’d tell him that, he snorted.

“What’s so funny, Yogi?” He could hear the smile behind the words.

“You can’t fool me.  I can tell when you’re worried.”

“Hush, Hamhock.”

“You’re mixing up the nicknames.  Stick to one.  My headache can’t take you messing with my identity.”

Kurt snorted.  “Go back to sleep.  I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

David woke again, and if he didn’t know better, he’d swear that Kurt and Sebastian were both here.  He kept his eyes closed and just listened.  He didn’t want to open them anyway if his headache was still sensitive to the light.

“Listen Gay-Face, I’m not going to say anything mean to him.  Believe it or not, he’s actually a friend.”

He heard Kurt snort.  God, he was so fucking cute when he did that. 

“We’ll see.  I’m not going to tell you to get out, because it’s not my place.  But if you say one word that upsets him, I’ll have you dragged out of here by your CW hair.”

“So I see you two are bonding,” David smiled as he tested the fate of his headache by opening his eyes.

Kurt turned to him quickly, “Hey there.  I didn’t have to wake you this time.” 

He made it sound like _progress_.  David wanted to laugh, but he knew it would hurt too much.

“Hard to sleep with you two arguing.”

“Hey Cub.  How you feeling?” Sebastian smirked.

“Like shit.”

“You _look_ like shit,” Sebastian nodded.

“Sebastian,” Kurt warned and propped his hands on his hips. 

“Kurt, it’s fine.  It’s how Seb and I bond.”

David loved seeing protective Kurt.  He might not be physically strong, but go after someone he cared about, and suffer an earful of Kurt rage.  He’d be scary if he wasn’t so fucking cute doing it.

“Fine.  But I’m watching him.” Kurt scooted his chair closer to David’s bedside and sat back down.

“Like that’ll scare me,” Sebastian retorted. 

“Seb.  Stop irritating him,” David replied. 

“Sure, side with the old Betty White.” Sebastian shrugged but stopped talking.

David looked at Kurt, and he smiled at the sight of Kurt preparing to hand Sebastian his own ass.

“Kurt,” David said to distract him. 

“For you.  Only for _you_ will I sit here and not respond.  Remember that, David.” Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Thank you,” David held his hand out to Kurt, and then the feeling was back. 

The relaxing back and forth motion Kurt’s fingers across the skin of his hand.  That was better.  Much better. 

He closed his eyes and settled back against the pillows. 

“The nurses are coming in a few minutes.  They were hoping you’d stay awake a little longer,” Kurt said.

“I’ll try.  If I do fall asleep, don’t kill each other,” David whispered.

“I can’t make any promises, David,” Kurt smiled.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“Hey there, doofus.” David woke to find his sister this time. 

“Hey midget.  Where are mom and dad?” 

Lena came over and pulled his less injured arm up to her chest, hugging it tightly.  “They’re outside talking to the doctors.  They said I can’t hug you.”

“What you’re doing is fine, midget.  You okay?”

Her face was red and her eyes were puffy.  “Yeah, I’m good.  They wouldn’t let me check out of school though.”

She was glaring at him like that had been David’s fault.  “Sorry, maybe next time I get beat up, you can.”

“Don’t say that!  I’ll tell Kurt you said that, and he’ll make you sorry,” Lena smirked, and looked almost exactly like their mother.

“Geez.  You know how to hit a guy where it hurts.”  David smiled at her.

“They made Kurt go home.”

“Who did?” 

He couldn’t imagine there being anybody alive who could make Kurt Hummel do anything he didn’t want to do. 

“His dad and stepmom.  They were here, and they found out he hadn’t eaten.  So they made him go with them.  He whispered to me that he’d come back after he ditched them.” Lena grinned at him.

David smiled.  He could totally see Kurt doing that. 

“Do you like him?” David asked quietly. 

He’d hoped that Kurt could meet Lena under better circumstances.  But he’d have to work with what he had. 

She nodded.  “He’s pretty cool.  Cute too.  I’m kind of into jocks but I can see the appeal.  He’s really pretty.”

“Shh.  Don’t say _pretty_.  He’ll find out and you’ll be in trouble,” David warned his sister.

She giggled.  “I’ll just tell him that _you_ said it.”

“Traitor.”

She was still laughing when his parents came back in with two officers.  His mother rushed Lena out of the room.  So she didn’t have to listen to the story, he figured.

“David, these officers would like to talk to you to see what you remember.” Paul Karofsky sat down in the chair that Kurt had claimed earlier. 

One officer shifted his weight and looked down at him.  “My name is Lieutenant Barnes.  Do you remember the names of the boys who did this?”

“Nick Raines was in charge.  He was the one talking the whole time.  Right before I blacked out, I heard him tell them not to beat me enough to kill me.  Because it would create a mess they didn’t need.” 

David watched as his father took in that information.  His expression was unreadable. 

He was very glad that Kurt wasn’t here to hear this.  They’d have a very angry Kurt Hummel to calm down if he were here.

The officer who hadn’t spoken nodded, and he was writing on a notepad.

“Mark Robertson was there.  He was calling me fag the entire time.” 

“Who else?  Just tell us whatever you can remember.” Barnes encouraged.

“There were two who were standing guard.  I don’t know them.  I think they’re freshman.  Luke McDowell was there.  He was screaming in my face that I was a stupid fucking gay.  I think he was the first one to start kicking me.  I’m not sure about that though.  Jon Lopez was one of them.  Andre Phillips too.  He was telling me that I shouldn’t have come out of the closet.  Like I voluntarily did that.  And Rickey Jacobs.  In case you missed the memo, they don’t like that I’m gay.”

He wondered just when it had become normal to say the words “ _I’m gay_ ” to perfect strangers. 

Barnes smiled at him.  “No, we got their memo Mr. Karofsky.  We’ve also taken a look at your facebook profile.  Did you see it yet?”

David sighed.  “No.  Is it bad?”

“Very.  We can charge them for that too.”

Paul Karofsky stood up and turned to them.  “That’s good.  What about the assault?”

“We’ll bring all of them in for questioning.  And we’ll be looking for the two freshman as well.”

David nodded at them, feeling sleepy again. 

“Can I go back to sleep now?” He whispered to them.

“Yeah, you can.  We may need to come back when you’re feeling better to get more details from you.  When you remember more.”

David nodded again and drifted off.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

He woke up again, but this time to the touch of Kurt’s hand again.  God, he could get used to that.  

“Hey Fancy.  I see you ditched them,” David smiled. 

Kurt leaned over and grinned at him.  “Yep.  It wasn’t hard.  Once my dad is fed, he’s much easier to manipulate.  Keep that in mind for the future.” He winked at David.

“Good to know.”

“Are you hurting?”

“It’s not bad.  I’m more numb than anything.  Probably from being in the same position all day.”

“Can I help you get settled more comfortably?” Kurt stood and looked down at him.

“Can you move the pillows if I lean up?”

“Yes, but don’t get a hero complex.  If it hurts, lay back down.”

David leaned forward a few inches and grimaced.  His ribs were fucking killing him.  He hadn’t noticed them while he was lying still.  He was more worried about the unbelievable headache he’d had all day. 

Kurt adjusted the pillows quickly and helped him ease back down. 

“Thanks.  You and Seb get stuff figured out?” 

“Yeah.  I’m sorry we fight like that.  He just.  He’s just _him_.  And he hates me.” Kurt waved his hand dismissively, as if he were shooing Sebastian away in his mind.  It was cute.

“Did he say anything to you after I went back to sleep?”

“It’s not important,” Kurt replied, looking away. 

“Yes it is.  What did he say?”

“He said I was a lousy boyfriend to Blaine because I’m here with you but I didn’t visit Blaine when he had his eye surgery.”

“Don’t listen to him.”

“I try.  It doesn’t matter anyway.  He doesn’t know the whole story.  And I doubt he’d care if he did.”

“What doesn’t he know?”

“It’s not important, David.”

“If it’s bothering you, it’s important.”

“Blaine and his father wouldn’t _let_ me visit him,” Kurt turned to David, obviously irritated.  “He didn’t want to upset his father because he doesn’t like me.  Hell, he wouldn’t bother to get to know me to see if he could like me.  Because he disapproves.  And rather than go against him, Blaine agreed that me visiting him would be a bad idea because his father would just get angry.  And his father requested that the nurses not allow me in if I even _tried_.”

David closed his eyes in anger. 

When he opened them again, it looked like Kurt wasn’t finished.  Like he wanted to say something else. 

“What else is it?  Something else is bothering you.”

“I found out today that Sebastian was allowed to visit Blaine here.  This is where the great Smythe apology happened apparently.  I wasn’t supposed to come because my gayness might offend his father.  But I guess because Sebastian is less _offensive_ , it was okay to let him in.  Blaine didn’t even tell me.  So not only did all that happen, Sebastian blindsided me with it today.  That is, if he’s telling the truth.  But I don’t doubt that he is.”

Well, if he didn’t already hate Bland, this would do it.  This would put him over the edge. 

“It just hurt.  I wasn’t allowed to come because his father was mad that Blaine had stepped in front of the slushie for me.  But the person who slushied him was okay.  I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t burden you with this.  You’ve been through enough today.” 

Kurt leaned over and grabbed his hand again, and he started that lovely stroking that always felt so fucking good. 

“How do you do that?” David whispered.

“What?”

“The way you touch my hand, it’s like a muscle relaxer or something.”

“That’s a new one for me.  My hands cause uncontrolled muscle relaxation?  I should become a masseuse instead of worrying about Broadway,” Kurt smiled at him.

“You’d be a millionaire if you did.” David smiled as his eyes started to close.  “What time is it?”

“Just after nine pm.”

“Then how are you still here?  Visiting hours are over.”

“Well, you see.  I have connections.”

“At a hospital?”

“Yes.  I’m that good.  The nurse working your floor tonight treated my father when he had his heart attack.  She let me sleep here sometimes, as long as the Charge Nurse didn’t find me.  She let me sneak in here.  I know people,” he smirked.

“You make it sound like you have mafia connections,” David smiled.  He hurt too much to give in to laughter.

“Maybe I do.  You don’t know.  Now go to sleep.  I’ll sneak back out after you go to sleep.”

“If you have connections, I’m glad you’re on my side.” David murmured as he began to fall asleep.

“Always,” Kurt smiled. 


	11. Chapter 11

David was getting really fucking tired of the hospital bed.  No matter what he tried, he couldn’t get comfortable.  And every time he moved, his body ached like a bitch.  He was ready to pay somebody to get discharged so he could go home and sleep in his own fucking bed. 

David was watching whatever shit they could find on the room’s television, and he was just bored. 

Kurt was supposed to come by early, since it was Saturday.  Sebastian said he’d be over at a different time to avoid conflicts with Kurt.  David was glad, because if he had to listen to one more comment from Sebastian, he’d go off on him. 

Kurt didn’t deserve to have to listen to him, especially since he’d gone out of his way to avoid arguing with Sebastian.  The Warbler needed to cut Kurt some slack if he wanted to stay friends with David, and he’d told him that over the phone.

Sebastian hadn’t been happy, but he’d agreed to be more respectful of Kurt.  It was probably more than Bland had ever done for him.  Sebastian was way too comfortable insulting him.  He must have had plenty of practice. 

David turned his head when he heard a soft knock on the door. 

“Come in,” he called out loud enough for the person to hear through the thickness of the door.

“Hey, David.” Casey walked into the room.   Her eyes were red and puffy, but she smiled.

“Casey!” David was shocked. 

He hadn’t expected her to visit.  They were friends at school, but they’d never actually hung out outside of school.  That was his fault though.  He’d never given her the chance to get to know that part of his life.

“I wasn’t sure it would be okay for me to come.” Casey said quietly. 

“Why not?”

“I feel like it’s my fault.  I made a big deal out of your Valentine’s gift to her.  I didn’t know she’d tell Nick.  And that he’d… use that against you.  I swear, I had no idea.”

“Casey, I don’t blame you at all.  I should have trusted you enough to tell you about Kurt.”

“That’s his name?”

“Yes.  He goes to my old school.”

“How long have you been dating?” Casey smiled at him.

“We’re not yet.  He just got out of a sucky relationship.  We’re taking things slowly.  He’s coming here later if you’re still going to be here.” 

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Fear, honestly.  That something like this would happen.  I’m sorry.  I think I kind of knew you’d be okay with it.  But I’ve always been pretty Narnia about my closet.”

Casey laughed and grabbed his hand.  “Now I understand why you are such a great boyfriend.  All the good ones are gay, and all that.” 

David smiled and settled into the pillows.  “I’ve heard that.  How bad is it at school?”

“Pretty bad.  The football team is self-destructing.  The ones not involved are doing their best to get the two freshman to turn themselves in.  You do have some friends on the team, in case you wondered.  Eric Callahan told the coach if he didn’t throw _all_ the freshman off until they confessed, he was quitting the team.”

Wow.  He hadn’t expected to have allies there.  “That’s cool.  Tell him I said thanks.”

“I will.  Are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.  I’m not sure my parents would let me even if I knew I wanted to come back.  Dad’s pretty set on me transferring back to McKinley.”

“I can see that.  I would understand if you decided not to.  But just remember.  We don’t have to go to the same school to be friends.”  Casey squeezed his hand gently.

Kurt came into the room just as she pulled her hand away and sat down.  He was wearing those black skinny jeans that made David’s mouth water, and the tight red button up shirt was unbelievably sexy on him.  Kurt stopped, obviously surprised to find someone else in the room.

“Hey Fancy.  This is Casey Smithson.  Casey, this is Kurt Hummel.  My Fancy.”  He figured he’d try out the possessiveness and see how Kurt responded to it.  

Kurt smiled at him, and his eyes darkened a little. 

So he _did_ like it.  Note to self.  Use that expression more often. 

Kurt offered his hand to Casey.  “Hello Miss Casey.  How do you know my Yogi?” 

David grinned, undeniably happy that Kurt was going to play hardball with him.  That sounded even better than he’d thought it would. 

“Yogi?” Casey frowned in confusion. 

“He’s a big old teddy bear.  So I named him Yogi.” 

Big old teddy bear.  He’d show Hummel who was a teddy bear when he got out of this bed. 

“That’s so cute, David!”

“Yeah.  Cute,” David glared at Kurt. 

“Now, Yogi, you _know_ you’re cute,” Kurt smirked at him. 

“Come closer and I’ll show you who’s cute,” David warned with a grin, and Kurt’s eyes widened slightly before he cleared his throat. 

“Not now, bear cub.  You have a guest.” Kurt dropped his bag next to the bed and pulled up a second chair. 

“You two are adorable together,” Casey smiled. 

Kurt looked at David and grinned before turning back to her.  “So, how do you two know each other?”

“David is in a few of my classes and listens to me bitch about my boyfriend and how unromantic he is.” 

“I’ve been there,” Kurt smiled and patted her hand.  “Not anymore though.   The ones that take you for granted aren’t worth your time.”

“That’s what David always says,” Casey turned in her chair to face Kurt.

“I’m still here, you know.  Victim here.  You’re both supposed to be visiting me, not each other.”

“Don’t listen to him, Casey.  He’s just jealous.” Kurt winked at her.

David adjusted his position again and gasped quietly. 

Kurt’s head whipped around like David had shouted at him.  “I’m fine Fancy.”

“No, you’re not.  That did not sound fine.  Do you need more pain medicine?  I can get a nurse.”

“Fancy, I’m fine.  I just moved a little.”

“Well stop moving then.” Kurt glared. 

The glare was powerful.  He remembered it from the time he’d gone to McKinley.  Kurt would use it every time David said something to him.  Or called him a name.  And the glare was very distracting because it was fucking hot.

“Sure.  I’ll just lay here motionless and waste away to nothing,” David rolled his eyes at Casey, and she stifled her laugh.

“Good plan.  At least you won’t be in pain, you drama queen.” 

“I’m the drama queen?” David asked incredulously.  “There is only one drama queen in this relationship, Fancy.”

“Right.  You.” Kurt smirked at him and sat back, crossing his arms in front of him.

“Don’t push me, Hummel.” David grinned.

“Don’t push _me_ , Karofsky.” Kurt grabbed his hand and starting rubbing his thumb over it.  “Watch this, Casey.”

“Dammit, Fancy.”  David’s head rolled back against the pillow. 

“He’s helpless when I do this.  It’s my epic power of muscle relaxation.  He’s the only person it works on.” Kurt giggled. 

Dammit, he was fucking adorable when he giggled.

Casey snorted. “David.  You are a goner.” 

“Yeah, I know.  Shut up.”

“I’m gonna go so he can molest your hand in private,” Casey bent down and kissed his cheek.  “Take care of yourself.”

“I will.  Talk to you later.”

“Do you want my number, Casey?  We can exchange information.”  Kurt looked way too excited about that idea, and David felt a little nervous.

“Why would you two need to exchange information?” David asked, fairly sure he didn’t really want to know the answer.

“Research.  Note comparison.  Blackmail material.” Casey shrugged and held out her hand for Kurt’s phone.  He handed it to her, and she punched in her phone number.

“Um.  How about no?”  David snorted.

“You don’t get a vote, Yogi,” Kurt grinned.  “She’s mine now.  Informants are hard to come by.”

“Great.  That’s just great.” David sighed.

“Shh.  It’ll be alright,” Kurt mocked him.  “You’ll survive.”

“I will get you back for this Fancy.  Keep that in mind.”

“Looking forward to the challenge, Yogi.”

Kurt’s eyes darkened again, and David really wished they weren’t taking things slowly.  Fucking hell.  He wanted Kurt so bad, he ached.  The more he spent time with him, the more he wanted him.  This whole being friends thing was bullshit. 

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” David promised with a half-smile. 

“Well, I know I’m not needed here.  I’ll be going now,” Casey patted David on the hand and smirked at him.  “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Kurt laughed but replied quietly. “You don’t have to go.  I promise I won’t molest him.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s the decision he wants you to make,” she smiled as she waved and left the room. 

“She’s right.”

“I know.” Kurt looked toward the window.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have been teasing you.”

“Don’t apologize.  I like it when you tease me.”

“Not that kind of teasing.”

“Kurt.  Chill.  I’m not upset about it.  I agreed we’d be friends.  I never said I wasn’t going to let you know how I feel about things.  Nothing’s changed there.”  David smiled up at Kurt.  “Luckily for you, I can’t actually do anything to you as payback.”

Kurt grinned down at him.  “I really am sorry though.  Here I am flirting after I told you I needed time.  That’s not fair to you.”

“I like it when you flirt,” David said quietly. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kurt smiled.  “Do you mind if I go find myself a good source of coffee?”

David shook his head no, to show that he didn’t mind. 

“I’ll be back in about fifteen or twenty minutes.  If you have to go back to sleep, I’ll just sit here and do some homework,” Kurt leaned over and put his hand on David’s face.  “I’ll be back soon Yogi.”

David nodded and watched as Kurt left again, and he settled back more comfortably. 

“Hey Cub!” Sebastian called out when he pushed the hospital door open less than ten minutes later. 

Great.  David liked Sebastian, but he doubted that the boy was here today just to visit him.  He was more likely here to see how much more psychological damage he could inflict on Kurt. 

Fuck.  And trailing right behind Sebastian was Bland, holding on to Sebastian’s right hand tightly. 

Just perfect.  Now he was here to rub Bland into Kurt’s face.  Did he think that Bland broke up with Kurt rather than the other way around?

“Seb.  What’s he doing here?”

Bland glared at him from the end of the bed.  “I’ve been wondering that myself,” he muttered.

“I just wanted to introduce my good cub friend to my boyfriend.  What’s wrong with that?”  Sebastian smirked down at him, challenging him to bring up Kurt.

Sebastian looked around the room, but he didn’t ask for Kurt.  David’s eyes narrowed when he realized he’d purposely not told Bland that Kurt would be here. 

“What game are you playing Seb?  Your boyfriend and I already know each other.  And we don’t like each other.” David glared at him. 

“Amen to that,” Bland responded dryly.

“Why here?  Why now?  This isn’t the right time for your games, Seb.  Not now.” David flicked his toward the door to encourage Sebastian to leave.  “Go.”

“What games?  I’m here to support my friend.  You need more of those you know.  Friends like us.”

“No, I don’t.  I have enough friends like you.  I’d rather you get your boy-toy out of here right now.”

If he mentioned that Kurt was coming back, he knew they’d never leave.  They’d stay until they made sure that Kurt saw them together. 

He hoped Kurt really was completely over Bland, because as much as he’d like to, he wasn’t capable of getting up and kicking Bland’s ass right now.  When he got better, Sebastian was definitely due one for this little stunt. 

“Go.” David stared Sebastian down, but the Warbler just smirked at him. 

“I thought we could sit and chat for a while.”

“Bastian, obviously he doesn’t want us here.  We should go.” Bland pulled at his hand and tried to leave the room, but Sebastian looked at him. 

“Come on, baby.  You can try to get along with him, can’t you?”  Sebastian’s voice oozed seduction, and Bland fell for it immediately.  He colored pink and he sidled up to Sebastian’s side. 

“Okay, I can stay.”

“No, you can’t.” David looked at him.  “Both of you need to go.”

“I’m back, Yogi.  And I smuggled you a hot chocolate in,” Kurt chirped brightly when he opened the door. 

He stopped when he saw Bland and Sebastian, obviously startled. 

But he recovered quickly.

David had to give him credit.  He only looked like he was surprised to find people in David’s room.  He wasn’t giving off any signal that he was upset about these two particular people being here. 

“Hello,” Kurt nodded at them and walked around them at the foot of the bed to come to David’s side.  “I don’t know if you’re allowed to have this, but I got you a straw to help you drink it.” 

He put the straw into David’s hot chocolate and he placed it on the moving table, maneuvering it so that it was across David’s lap. 

“I took the lid off on the drive so it could cool off some.” 

David nodded thanks to Kurt, amazed that he could seem so unflustered by the other boys.  David looked back at them, and they were staring as if Kurt was an alien life form. 

“Thanks, Fancy.”

“Anything for you,” he brushed his fingers over David’s hand.  “Are your visitors giving you any problems?” Kurt cast a sidelong glance at Sebastian and Blaine.

“We came to introduce my boyfriend to David,” Sebastian recovered, rather slowly for him.  He probably wasn’t used to being one-upped by Kurt’s obvious disinterest.    

“That’s nice.  But you _do_ know that they already knew each other right?  Otherwise, this is just a stunt of yours to irritate David and me.”  Kurt sat back and took a drink of his coffee.

“What are you doing here?” Bland asked accusingly.

“Visiting,” Kurt rolled his eyes.  “What does it look like Blaine?”

“But he bullied you!  He made your life hell!”

David glowered at Bland.  He had enough reason to hate the prick.  But coming into his hospital room and starting this shit after David had been beaten up was crossing a line.  He was implying that David didn’t deserve to have Kurt’s forgiveness.  And maybe he was also implying that David deserved to get beaten half to death too. 

“And you’re fucking the boy who almost blinded you.” Kurt stood, hands on his hips and glared. “So I don’t really think you have room to talk.”

Bland glared at Kurt.  But really, what could the prick say?  He _was_ fucking the boy who’d almost blinded him.  David was pretty sure he had no comeback for that.

“You sound jealous, Gay-Face.”  Sebastian smirked and pulled Bland closer to him. 

“Grow up, Sebastian.  Go get a life that doesn’t involve trying to make other people miserable.” 

“But this is much more fun, right Blaine?  Have you noticed how much happier he is, Kurt?  Now that he’d not dating somebody who looks like he fell off a Puerto Rican PRIDE float.”

“Sebastian, that’s enough!  I’m fucking sick of you talking to Kurt like that.  Get the fuck out of my room!”  David tried to sit up, but the pain in his ribs wouldn’t allow it.

“David, calm down,” Kurt grabbed his hand and brushed his fingers over it.  “I’m fine.  Don’t get upset, because then your head will just start hurting again.”

“He can’t talk to you like that,” David ground out.

“Blaine never minded me talking about Kurt like this, did you Blaine?” Sebastian smirked at David and shot a glance towards Blaine, who was flushing next to him.

David looked at Kurt, who shrugged. 

Seriously?  Bland had actually allowed Sebastian to say shit like this to Kurt while they were dating? 

“Is that true, Kurt?” David asked quietly. 

Kurt nodded slightly, but he didn’t speak. 

David looked up at Bland.  “You really just sat there and let Sebastian talk shit like this to Kurt?  About him?  Without defending him?  Did you even care about defending him?  You were _supposed_ to love him.” 

Bland fidgeted.  “That’s none of your business.”

“Well, it is now.  As long as Fancy’s with me, neither one of you are going to treat him like this.  Now get out, or I’ll have the hospital staff escort you out.”

“What do you mean as long as he’s with you?”  Bland accused.

“I mean that Fancy’s with me.  Now get out.  Now.”

Bland turned on Kurt, ready for a fight, and David pushed the button to request a nurse to come to his room. 

“This?” Bland pointed to David.  “This is who you broke up with me for?”

Sebastian frowned and turned on Bland.  “You said _you_ dumped him, Blaine.”

David watched as all of Sebastian’s glee about the situation deflated.  He couldn’t get under Kurt’s skin about dating Blaine if Kurt didn’t want his ex-boyfriend back in the first place. 

“I lied.” Bland shot back undeterred.  “Why are you even bothering Kurt? It’s not like you two have a future.”

“Leave me alone, Blaine.” Kurt retorted without looking up at his ex-boyfriend. 

“This is ridiculous, Kurt.” Bland replied. 

Kurt got up and reeled to face Bland. 

“What is?  What’s so ridiculous about it, Blaine?  The fact that someone else might want me?  You’ve never been afraid to let me know that you didn’t have to worry about me cheating on you.  Because of course, nobody would want me.  I’m not you, after all.  I’m not sexy.  I’m not handsome.  The best I can do is _adorable,_ right Blaine?  I’m too _Gay-faced_ , right Sebastian?  I’m too _flaming_ for anybody to care about anything but tormenting and manipulating me, right?  I’m really sick of both of you.  You don’t care what you say, as long as it hurts me or puts me in my place.  As long as it gets me to do what you want me to do.  And I’m done with it.  Get out of this room!” 

The nurse walked in just as Kurt finished his rant. 

“Can I help you, Mr. Karofsky?”

“Yes.  These two men are harassing me and my friend.  I’ve asked them to leave multiple times, and they refuse.  Would it be possible to have someone from security take them out?  I’d also like to arrange it so that they can’t come back.”

The nurse glared at Bland and Sebastian.  “Do I _need_ to get a security officer up here?” 

Sebastian looked defeated for once, and Bland just looked pissed.  Sebastian shook his head no, and he grabbed Blaine’s hand and led him from the room. 

“I’m so fucking sick of them.” Kurt’s voice was small and uneven.  Like he was about to cry.

Now, he knew what Kurt had been talking about when he said there was much more to his fucked up relationship with Blaine that he needed to heal from.  It hadn’t just involved sex.  There was much more there that had taken chunks out of Kurt’s self-esteem.

He needed to give Kurt more time.  He wanted his Fancy back.  The smart-assed diva who could make him tremble with his words.  He could wait for that.  And he’d help Kurt find that Fancy again.

“Come here, Fancy.”  David shifted to the right on the bed, as easily as he could.  “Lay down with me.”

“I’ll hurt you.”

“It can’t hurt worse than me seeing you like this.  I asked them to leave before you even got here.  I could tell Sebastian had something planned,” David watched him hesitate again.  “I’m fine Fancy.  I just want to hold you, okay?”  ”

Kurt climbed up into the bed gently, obviously scared to death that he’d put pressure on David’s ribs and hurt him. 

“That actually sounds kind of perfect,” Kurt sighed against him.


	12. Chapter 12

Kurt sighed into David’s embrace and put his hand over David’s chest.

“I’m so _tired_ of fighting with him.  At first it was just a power play.  He wanted Blaine and made sure I knew it.  I had Blaine and made sure _he_ knew it.  But then it just escalated.  He is just horrible.  I thought maybe when Blaine and I broke up that he’d leave me alone.”

“It’s okay,” David whispered.  “I’m sorry I can’t kick his ass for you.”

Kurt snorted beside him, “That won’t solve anything, David.  I’m sorry.  You shouldn’t be dealing with this shit.  You’re hurt.”

“Hey, this is about _you_.  I’m not going to let you deal with it alone.”

David closed his eyes and cherished the feeling of Kurt freaking Hummel curled up next to him.  He’d be happy if time just stopped right at this moment. 

“Thank you.”

“So Bland really let Sebastian treat you like that?”

“It’s more that he just didn’t care to listen to me about it.  I don’t know what Sebastian would say to him when I wasn’t around, but I can imagine.  But when Blaine wasn’t around, it was like that.  Sometimes worse.  But if I said anything to Blaine about it, he accused me of just not liking Sebastian.  Or he told me I was imagining things. That Sebastian couldn’t possibly be that bad.  But you saw his face.  He wasn’t even shocked to hear Sebastian talk that way.  So I can imagine the horrible things they say behind my back.”

“I’m sorry.”

David couldn’t imagine what Kurt was feeling, but he wanted to fix it.  He wanted to make it all go away if it was possible. 

“Thank you for making them leave.”

“For you, anytime.”

“I need to get up.  Aren’t your parents coming soon?” Kurt didn’t actually move though.  And David was very okay with that decision.

“Yes they are, but you don’t have to.  They sort of know that I’m crazy about you.  So I don’t think they’ll care that you’re, well, in bed with me.” 

That phrase sounded too damn good actually.  He glanced to the side and saw Kurt blush a very sexy pink color. 

“I’m not sure what to say to that,” Kurt smiled.  “Part of me wants to ask you why you’re crazy about me.  But that part of me has always been convinced that I was never good enough for anybody.  That’s a part of me that I’d like to stop listening to.”

“Kurt, you’ve been too good for everybody in this whole fucking town for years.  Blaine should have considered himself lucky to be with you.  Because I consider myself lucky that you’re even in this room with me right now.”  He wrapped his arm around Kurt just a little tighter.

“But why do you think that?  Nobody else does.  Rachel wants the two of us to storm Broadway, but I think deep down, she feels as if I’m just coming along for the ride.  She says that I’m just as talented, but I don’t believe she’s ever really meant that.  Most of my guy friends, besides Sam, are too freaked out to be in the same room with me if they happen to be changing clothes.  On our trip to New York junior year, they drew straws to see who got to room with me.  Not even Finn would do it willingly.  Even though he’s supposed to be my brother.  Sam got angry with them, and he volunteered to bunk with me.  They _say_ they support me.  But when I went through everything about coming out sophomore year, Finn bullied me along with everybody else.  His biggest support of me was when he showed up in the red Gaga outfit when you and Azimio were messing with me.  But he threw Santana a Girls Kiss Girls Music Week when he outed her.  To be supportive of her.”  Kurt sounded defeated but also resigned. 

Like he expected everybody to treat him like shit.  Because most people always had.

He remembered that week with Hudson in that stupid red shower curtain. 

David had been unbelievably hard on Kurt that week.  He might be gay, but he wasn’t about to start spouting support for Lady Gaga.  He probably never would.  He’d hated that stupid outfit Kurt wore.  Even if the freaky heels had made Kurt taller.  Tall enough that David wouldn’t have had to bend down to kiss him.  And that had been part of the problem at the time.  It’s the first thing David had thought of doing.

But what he remembered most about that week was the way Kurt had defended that girl that had been with him.  Tina something or other.  He’d fought back.  Said that they could hassle him, but he and Azimio couldn’t pick on a girl.  He was a stronger Kurt than the one he was now.  That was the Kurt David wanted back.

David felt his eyes begin to water.  Kurt had gone through so much.  All the fucking time.  And for months, David had made things worse for him.  Simply because he was too scared to be as proud as Kurt was about being gay. 

“I’m sorry.  I know that doesn’t help right now.  But I am.  I contributed to that a lot.” 

“Stop.  We’ve put that behind us.” Kurt fidgeted and put his head on David’s shoulder.  “You make a wonderful pillow, you know.”

David smiled.  “Must be the teddy bear DNA.”

“Probably,” Kurt snorted quietly.  “So remind me why you’re putting up with me making your physical recovery from an assault all about my ex-boyfriend issues?”

“Because I’m crazy about you.” 

“You realize I only asked you that to hear you say that again, right?” He felt Kurt smile. 

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay, good.  Didn’t want you blindsided with that later.  So what have your parents found out about the assault?”

“They charged all the players involved.   They’ve also been expelled for the remainder of the year, and if they do manage to get off, they’d still have to reapply to the school to have their expulsions rescinded.  They have a few freshmen that they think might have been the ones being lookouts.”

“Good.  Are you going back?  Casey seems like a good support system if you do.”

“She would be.  But Dad is pushing for me to come back to McKinley.” 

David held his breath to see what Kurt would say to that idea.  He’d been waiting for the chance to ask him, but he was also dreading what he would think of the idea.

“Okay, that has good points and bad,” Kurt replied.  “Azimio would be a bad one.  Unless he gets his priorities straight and makes it up to you.”

David snorted. “I doubt that’ll happen.”

“Probably not.  But we can hope.  Well, there’s the whole issue of the closet.  Yours kind of doesn’t exist anymore.  Most of the students at McKinley have already heard what happened to you.”

“Good point.”

“Plus there’s also the issue of the McKinley students being kind of hypocritical.  They’d probably bully you about the fact that you bullied them.  That’s kind of the theme there, in case you missed that.”

David smiled wryly.  “No, I got that message.” 

He got that message loud and clear the week that he’d been forced to join Glee Club by Coach Sylvester and Coach Bieste.  And even after he’d apologized to Kurt and done his best to be better while on the Bully Whips, it hadn’t mattered.  They saw what they wanted to see about him.

“Staying at your school means you deal with the outing thing.  You could have some people on your side.  But coming back to McKinley means you deal with the same thing.”

“Casey said that one of the football players threatened to quit if the coach didn’t throw all the freshmen off the team until the lookouts confessed.”

“Wow.  Do you know him?” Kurt sounded impressed.

“Not well.  But he’s a good guy from what I’ve seen about him.”

“One good thing is that you’d have Coach Bieste and Coach Sylvester.  I think they’d be on your side.  She was on mine over the bullying thing with you and me, but when she heard about you, she came straight to me to ask about you.  She is in a whole different league when it comes to bullying, but she’s always been a big supporter of me.”

“You’re forgetting something.”

“What?”

“A major con of staying at Carmel is that you won’t be there.”

“Well, I didn’t want to say that.” Kurt said quietly against his shoulder.

“Because you didn’t want to get my hopes up?”

“No.  That’s not it at all.” Kurt sighed against him.  “Really, it’s not.”

“Then why didn’t you want to point that out?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Please don’t tell me that you think you being there isn’t a good enough reason for me?”

Kurt didn’t answer.  Which was the same as a fucking admission as far as David was concerned. 

“Fancy, even if every single other positive pointed me in the direction of Carmel, it still wouldn’t have _you_.  Which means that McKinley wins automatically.” 

Kurt reached up and brushed a tear off his cheek.  “You make it really hard to listen to that voice in my head, you know.”

“What voice?  The one that says you aren’t good enough for anybody?  I thought you weren’t listening to that one anymore.”

“No, that’s not the voice I meant.”

“Great.  You have more than one voice in your head?  That’s a sign of something, isn’t it?”  David smirked even though he knew Kurt couldn’t see his face.

Kurt snorted and poked him in the chest.  “Don’t push me, Karofsky.”

“Don’t push _me_ , Hummel.” David smiled at the ceiling. 

“That’s going to be a thing with us, isn’t it?” Kurt sounded like he wasn’t against that at all.

“Yep.  Suits us.  Now which voice in your head is yelling at you now?”

“The one that says I shouldn’t kiss you right now.”

“Oh, that voice.  That voice is a fucking idiot in case you didn’t know.  I’m totally for you not listening to him at all.” David grinned down at him. 

Well, he grinned down at the top of Kurt’s head because that’s the only part of him he could see at the moment.

“I thought you might disagree with him.”

“Well, what are you going to do about that voice?”  David whispered. 

“What do you think?” Kurt’s voice was flirty again. 

“Show me.” 

Kurt sat up slightly and turned to him.  “You sure?”

“You kissed me once already, remember?  That night at my house.  What’s different right now?”

“Everything’s different, David.” Kurt whispered. 

“Maybe.  Maybe not.” David argued back. 

Kurt used his free hand to stroke David’s cheek, and he felt himself lean into the touch. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Kurt whispered.  “And I’m not talking about your ribs.”

“You won’t.”

“I could.”

“I could hurt you too,” David reminded quietly.

“True.” Kurt nodded and lowered his head. 

He brushed his lips against David’s gently.  He flicked his tongue out to lick David’s bottom lip, and David groaned in response.  Kurt smiled against his mouth, and he kissed him again quickly. 

David felt his uninjured arm, the one Kurt had been leaning on, find the back of Kurt’s neck almost involuntarily.  He wrapped his fingers around the nape of his neck and pulled down, pressing Kurt’s mouth against his again.  More deeply.

He was going to enjoy this, just in case this ended up being the last kiss he ever got from Kurt Hummel.

David’s head lifted off the pillow to meet the face he was pulling closer to him.  He kissed Kurt with his mouth open, nudging his tongue inside Kurt’s mouth with a darting thrust. 

He was going to do his best to elicit a moan from _his_ Fancy.  David smiled against Kurt’s lips and kissed him again. 

 _His Fancy was kissing him_.  Voluntarily.  _Again_. 

And it was even better than the first one.  Or the second one, actually, since their first kiss had been kind of a train wreck. 

He felt Kurt’s fingers brush over his cheek, and he melted. 

He wasn’t supposed to fucking melt.  He was supposed to make _Kurt_ melt.  Dammit. 

“Stop doing that with your fingers,” he murmured against Kurt’s mouth. 

What the hell was it about Kurt Hummel’s fingers that just turned him into putty?  It wasn’t right, and he was pretty damn sure it wasn’t very masculine either.

“Why?  Is it distracting you?” Kurt grinned into another quick kiss and then pulled back.

“Yes.”

David pulled Kurt back to him, and he devoured those gorgeous lips again.  And then Kurt moaned. 

There.  Now he could stop. 

Not that he was planning to stop of course.  But he’d completed his mission.

If Kurt was going to make him melt, then he’d fucking make Kurt moan.  That’s how it was going to be any time he got to kiss Kurt, he decided. 

This was his new mission in life. 

Kurt pulled back and looked at him, his eyes dark and beautiful.  “Wow.”

“Yeah.” David looked up at him. 

“Just wow.  We probably shouldn’t have done that.  But wow.”

“You’re usually much more articulate than this.”

“Yes. I am.  Wow.”

“Okay.  I get the message.  It was wow but also wrong.”

“No, not wrong.  Just soon.  And all my fault.”

“Um no.  I don’t think so.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t let you stop when you tried.” David smirked at him.

“But I’m taking advantage of you in your current invalid state.” Kurt smiled down at him.

“I’m cool with that.  Take advantage all you want.  I’m all yours.” David dropped his arm back behind his head and smirked.  He’d spread out his other arm in invitation if it wasn’t currently attached to an IV.

“David Karofsky.” Kurt’s eyes narrowed in affectionate irritation.

“Kurt Hummel,” David smiled up at him. 

“We’re friends,” Kurt reminded. 

“Yes. We are.  Friends who make each other think wow when we kiss.  I don’t see how this is a bad thing,” David’s hand swept through Kurt’s hair as he talked.  He tugged gently on the ends of Kurt’s hair as he stroked.

How could a kiss like that possibly be wrong? 

He was ready to push fast-forward on this whole _friends but waiting for the perfect time to jump each other relationship_.

“I don’t let anybody touch my hair,” Kurt murmured as he leaned against David’s hand.

“You don’t huh?” David smiled when Kurt closed his eyes.

“Nope.  Nobody is allowed to mess up my hair,” Kurt nodded his head in contradiction to his words.

“Good to know.  Glad you’re such a stickler for that.” David threaded his fingers at the base of Kurt’s hair.  “I’d hate to think you’d let just anybody do that.” 

“I have special products for my hair.  That’s why nobody’s allowed to touch it,” Kurt bit his lip.

“Yeah.  I’ll bet your hair is really soft, isn’t it?” David smirked at the look of utter satisfaction on Kurt’s face.

“Yes, it is.  You’d know if I ever decided to let you do that.” Kurt smiled as he murmured the words.

His Fancy was going to make him crazy.  He was now completely convinced it was on purpose.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” David smirked as he brushed the hair away from Kurt’s forehead. 

Kurt moaned, and David knew it was involuntary. 

David also knew it was fucking hot.

“Hey honey! We’re back!” Olivia Karofsky called out as she pushed open the door to David’s hospital room, his father following closely behind her.

Kurt let out what could only be described as a very girly yelp, nearly dove out of David’s reach, and promptly fell off the bed onto the floor. 


	13. Chapter 13

Kurt was fairly certain that it _was_ possible to die of embarrassment.  He considered just sitting here in the floor, wishing for an invisibility cloak.  Or he could just crawl out past David’s parents and hope they took pity on him and let him get out without saying a word. 

David was full out snickering in the bed above him.  _That_ _bastard._

Olivia Karofsky had gasped when Kurt fell, but Paul Karofsky had laughed quietly along with David.  _Those bastards_. 

Kurt was sure that the only thing keeping David from outright guffawing about Kurt falling off the bed into the floor was the fact that he had broken ribs. 

“Fancy?” David’s voice held a very familiar smirk. 

“Yes?” Kurt stood up and smoothed out his clothes.  He narrowed his eyes at David, challenging him to say just one damn word.  Just one damn word.

“Are you alright?” David’s smile was hidden behind his fist. 

“I’m fine.  Other than my hair being a bit messed up.” Kurt did the best he could to repair the damage David’s hand had done to his hair, despite not having a mirror handy. 

Olivia and Paul Karofsky were smirking at him. 

It had been bad enough that he’d had to meet David’s mother for the first time while he was lying in a bed at the hospital.  Now he’d humiliated himself in front of them. 

“I’m going to go now, David.” Kurt smiled at him despite his desire to bury his head and will the rising blush to go away. 

“You don’t have to,” David looked up at him.

“No, I really do,” Kurt leaned down and whispered into his ear.  “I’ll be back later.  After my dignity is restored.” 

David smiled up at him.  “Thanks for the hot chocolate.”

“You didn’t even drink it.”

“I will now.”

Kurt smiled at David’s mother and father, and then stopped next to them before he left the room.  “At least give me the chance to get into the elevator before you start laughing.  So that I don’t have to hear it, okay?” 

Paul Karofsky snorted, patted Kurt on the shoulder and said, “Of course.”  Olivia Karofsky put her hand on Kurt’s cheek and winked at him and added, “As you wish.”

The door was closing slowly as Kurt left, but he could hear Mrs. Karofsky squeal, “Oh, David, he’s so adorable!”

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“Wow, so Karofsky’s gay?” Finn questioned between bites of his hamburger.  “That’s weird.  But I guess _maybe_ I should have seen that coming.”

“What do you mean?” Kurt looked up from his salad. 

“One time, while you were at Dalton, he started arguing with me during a game.  I told him how it was funny how he was always calling everybody gay but he never seemed to have a girlfriend.  He came at me like he was going to hit me, but his face.  The expression was different.  I wasn’t sure what it was at the time.”  Finn took a bite of his burger and chewed slowly. 

For a boy who usually inhaled his food, watching Finn _think_ while he ate was strange.

“You noticed that?” Kurt didn’t even notice that about David. 

But then again, he wasn’t a jock, and he wouldn’t have spent enough time with David to notice that. 

“Well, plus Santana dated him when she was obviously in love with Brittany.”  Finn replied as if he was making some connections in his mind.

“True.”

“So that must mean that they were bearding each other right?” 

 _Bearding each other_.  Only Finn.

“Sort of, Finn,” Kurt hid a smile and took a bite of his salad.  Salad he didn’t really want.  He really wanted a hamburger.  He signaled for a waiter to come over and he put in an order for one. 

“Dude, you haven’t eaten a burger in forever.   Didn’t you ban them from your body or something after Burt’s heart attack?”  Finn’s mouth dropped open unattractively.

“Yes, Finn.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t want one every now and then.” 

“I’m telling Burt.  You wouldn’t let him have one last week.” Finn smirked at him as he took another bite.

“You tell him and I’ll tell Rachel you forgot she was vegan when you cooked dinner for her that night.  Remember when you fed her real meat instead of meat substitute?”  Kurt pointed his salad afflicted fork in Finn’s general direction. 

“You wouldn’t?”

Kurt’s eyebrow lifted in amusement.  “Try me.”“Again, I hate you.”

“Feelings mutual, brother dear.”  Kurt pushed the salad away from him.  He really had no business eating a hamburger but he had no appetite for the salad. 

“So are you two friends now?  Burt said you visited Karofsky in the hospital.”

“Yes, we’re friends.” 

Most likely more.  If the feelings that kiss had evoked had any part in his decision making.

“I heard it took twelve members of the football team to take him down.”  Finn whistled, obviously impressed with the Uber Karofsky’s ability to fight off enemies.

Kurt snored.  “Six actually.  Any other rumors about it that I could shed light on?”

“Six is a lot too. I can see that though.  He’s a big guy.  Sam said that it felt like getting thrown around like a rag doll that time he defended you from Karofsky.” 

“I doubt that.  I’m pretty sure Sam could hold his own.”

It was left unsaid that Sam wouldn’t have had to take on David alone if Finn had stepped up.

“I also heard that the reason he got beat up is because he was in the drag show at that gay bar I’m not supposed to know that you go to.”  Finn popped a French fry into his mouth absently.

“First, I went to that bar once.  _Once_.  And second, David is definitely _not_ going to dress in drag.” 

Kurt shuddered at the thought.  He didn’t find drag offensive at all in and of itself.  After all, Kurt shopped in the women’s department as often as he did in the men’s.  He wore skirts and corsets to school, so there was no judgment against dressing in drag from him. 

He just couldn’t picture his Yogi doing it. 

Wait.  _His_ Yogi?  When had _that_ started? 

He remembered the slight flush of pleasure he’d gotten when David had said “My Fancy” when he introduced Kurt to Casey.  He’d never imagined that David thought of him that way. 

As belonging to him.  Kurt thought would hate that.  He’d always imagined that he’d hate someone being possessive. 

He’d never experienced that with Blaine because his ex-boyfriend had never been possessive.  He’d never imagined that he’d ever lose Kurt to anyone, so he’d never felt the need to assert any kind of claim on him.  He’d never felt threatened that someone would take Kurt away.  Probably because he continued to believe that nobody else would want Kurt.

But for some reason, he didn’t mind it when David did. 

Because when David had said it, it hadn’t sounded like staking a claim.  It had sounded like he truly felt that Kurt was his “Fancy.”  And nobody else would ever be “Fancy” to David Karofsky.

Kurt smiled when the waiter brought his hamburger to him.  “Eyes off.  You have your own,” he muttered to Finn.

“I’m still hungry,” Finn protested.

“Order something vegan.  It’s good for you.”

“I hate vegan food.”  Finn looked insulted at the suggestion.

“Then why are you marrying Rachel?  You realize she’s never going to cook you a hamburger right?”

Finn looked up with concern.  “She’s not?”

“That _just_ set in?   She’s never made it a secret that she wants you to become vegan too.”  Kurt grinned at the look of horror on his step-brother’s face.  “Do you ever listen to her at all?  I mean besides when she’s singing?  She told me that she’s only cooking vegan food after you two get married, and you can just learn to deal with it.”

“So I’m going to be holding her purse on the red carpet while I stare longingly at the nearest diner?” Finn sat back, defeated.

Kurt snorted.  “That’s depressing.  And yet also most likely accurate if you don’t man up and do something for yourself.  And since when do you use the word longingly?”

“Since I realized I may have to live without meat for the rest of my life.  It’s like sex to me.”

Kurt nearly spit out his bite of hamburger.  “I didn’t need that visual.”

“Sorry dude.” Finn smirked.

“Will you help David out if he comes back to McKinley?” Kurt wanted the question to hit Finn out of the blue, so that he could hear Finn’s honest answer.

“I don’t know.  Maybe.  Is he?”  Finn looked uncertain.

“His dad wants him out of that school.  After that I doubt David could tolerate being there.”

“I can see that.  And you two are cool, right?  No weirdness?” 

“No, no weirdness.”

Weirdness was definitely not how he’d describe what was going on between the two of them.

“How good of friends are you?”  Finn looked at him almost as if he knew something was going on.

“Good friends.  You know, I forgave him a long time ago even when you guys didn’t.  And it was me that he targeted.  So I should get to be the one to decide whether or not he’s changed, don’t you think?”

“He’s definitely changed,” Finn nodded.  “Did you know? Before you left.”

“About him being gay?  Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell anybody?” Finn stared at him accusingly. 

“Because I don’t out.” 

Kurt was sure they were both thinking about Finn’s outing of Santana and all the drama it had caused. 

“Fair enough.  Did he come out to you before?  Is that why he picked on you?  Was he afraid you were going to out him?”

“Something like that,” Kurt replied and took another bite of his hamburger.

He didn’t know how much David wanted others to know about them, so he decided not to talk about the kiss.  Even though it would go a long way to explain his behavior to Kurt’s friends, he wasn’t going to put that information out about David and have him get blindsided by it if he did return to McKinley.

“Is that why he threatened to kill you?” Finn questioned.

“Yes.  Because I told Blaine that David was gay.  Back before Blaine and I were dating.  Blaine and I confronted him, and the incident almost outed him.  And David was furious with me for it.  I’m not making excuses for the threat.  I’m just explaining it.  He was terrified that I’d out him to McKinley, and I was terrified that he’d do something to prevent me from outing him.  We were kind of screwed up about the whole situation.”

“I get that.  Believe it or not.  I’m not always clueless, you know.” Finn sat back and grinned.

“I know.” Kurt smiled at his brother.  “David and I are good now.  And if he comes back to McKinley, he’s going to need people to support him.  Azimio dumped him when he found out that David was gay, so he’ll most likely make David’s life miserable.  He needs back-up.  I’m asking you first because you’re my brother.  My next target for my pleading and begging will be Sam.”

“Sam might have an issue because of that fight.”

“Maybe.  Maybe not.  Sam’s more accepting than you ever gave him credit for.”

Finn flushed with embarrassment. 

Kurt didn’t bring up the duet incident often, but he did it to remind Finn that he’d never forget about it.  He might have forgiven Finn for the things that he’d done and said, but he’d never really forget it.  Finn slipped back into that attitude way too easily sometimes.  Kurt needed the reminder sometimes that Finn may have changed in some ways, but he wasn’t as accepting as Kurt would like him to be.

Yes, he regretted that he’d ever had a crush on Finn, and he was embarrassed at his behavior that year.  He regretted making Finn feel uncomfortable about the crush.  But he really felt that comparing Kurt to a stalker or telling him that he didn’t know when _no meant no_ was crossing the line.

“Yeah, I guess he is.” Finn replied quietly. 

“Just tell me.  Will you help him?  He needs as many friends as he can get right now.”

“Yeah.  If you two are cool, I can be cool with him.”

“Okay, thank you.”  Kurt sat back, content that there was at least one other person on David’s side. 

Next stop, Sam Evans. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“Hey there, Sam Evans,” Kurt called from the door to the guest room that Sam had been using for the past few months. 

“Hey there, Kurt Hummel,” Sam replied from the bed where he lounged. 

Most likely mourning the train wreck that had been his relationship, or lack thereof, with Mercedes. 

“You okay?” Kurt walked in and sat at the edge of Sam’s bed.

“Kind of.”  Sam looked up at him.  “How’s Karofsky?”

“He’s getting better.  He has broken ribs, he’s covered in bruises, and they nearly broke his arm.  But he’s getting better.”

“That’s good.  So he’s gay huh?” Sam’s arm was flung over his forehead, and he looked up at Kurt.

“Yeah.  He’s gay.”  Kurt loved how everybody broached the subject with ‘ _So he’s gay_?’ or ‘ _So Karofsky’s gay_?’

“Something tells me you always knew that,” Sam said quietly.

“Not always.  But for a while now.” 

“And you never said anything to anybody?  Even after everything he’d done to you?” Sam’s eyes narrowed at Kurt in subtle accusation.

“I don’t out people.” Kurt shrugged.  It seemed like a simple concept to him.  Why did everybody seem surprised by it?

“I know.”  Sam looked uncomfortable though.  Not surprised.  Just uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  It’s nothing.” Sam sighed. 

“Sam,” Kurt prompted.  “It sounds like something.”

“Can you close the door?” Sam asked quietly. 

“Sure,” Kurt stood and closed the door, and the click as the door shut seemed very loud in the room.

Unlike when Blaine had been at the house, there was no door must stay open rule regarding Finn and Sam’s rooms.  Or when they were in Kurt’s own room.  His father only had issues when it was a gay guy behind a closed door with his son.

Kurt came back and sat down, legs crossed in front of him, and he waited. 

“Is it Mercedes again?” Kurt smile encouragingly at him.

“No.  It’s not Mercedes.  It’s nothing like that actually.” Sam sat up and leaned against the head board. 

“What?  You’re scaring me, Sam.”  Kurt was only partially joking. 

“You remember when we first met, officially, I mean.  When you walked up to me in the hall and asked me to do that duet with you?”

“Of course I remember, Sam.”

“Remember what you said when I didn’t know anything about Make Em Laugh?  Or about Donald O’Connor and Fred Astaire?”

“Gene Kelly, actually,” Kurt corrected automatically.  “I’m sorry.  Go on.”

“Remember what you said?”

Kurt had an idea where this was going, and his stomach dropped.  “Yes, I remember,” he replied quietly. 

“What did you say?” Sam challenged him.

“ _Maybe you are straight_.” Kurt replied quietly.

“Yeah.  So you do remember?”

“Of course I remember that, Sam.  Where is this going?” Kurt asked reluctantly.

Kurt didn’t actually want to know where this was going.  Kurt _really_ didn’t want to have this conversation with Sam.  A year ago, yes.  He would have loved to have had this conversation with Sam Evans.  But not now. 

“Well, I’m not completely straight.” Sam replied quietly. 

“What do you mean by completely?” Kurt’s voice had nearly left him.   He swallowed again, and he cleared his throat nervously.

“I mean I’m bisexual, Kurt.” Sam replied.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”  Kurt had always joked about Sam being a closeted bisexual, but deep down, he’d never imagined Sam would actually be confirming it to him. 

“At first you didn’t really give me a chance.  Then I started dating Quinn.  Then Santana.  Then after I found out how you reacted to Blaine kissing Rachel, I didn’t want to tell you.  I thought you’d judge me.”

“Okay, first of all, how do you even know what I said to Blaine about it?”

“You tell Mercedes and Rachel everything.  Mercedes let it slip once what you said about yelling at Blaine about bisexuality not existing.”

“Okay, you weren’t there for that discussion.  So you can’t judge me for what I said.  I was upset with _him_!  Not with his confusion about his sexuality.” Kurt was beginning to get angry now.

“What do you mean?”

“I said that to him because I was angry.  Did Mercedes also happen to let it slip that before Rachel’s party, I poured my heart out to Blaine about how I felt about him?  That he turned me down?  That he’d said he only wanted to be friends with me?  He didn’t want to kiss me, but he was willing to kiss, and then date, a girl he barely knew even though he was _gay_.  I wasn’t good enough for him, but she was.  I had to watch as a gay guy that didn’t want to kiss me sucked face with Rachel Berry.  _That’s_ why I was angry with him.  I lost my temper about the bisexuality, but that was because he _hurt_ me.”

“No, she didn’t mention that part.” Sam looked chagrined at even bringing up the subject.

“And you were so willing to think that I’d do that?  I would have listened to you!” 

“I know that now.  You protected Karofsky from being outed, and the two of you hated each other.  I know now that you would have protected me if I’d told you.  I shouldn’t have doubted you.” Sam looked at Kurt with tears in his eyes.

“Is this why you’re telling me now?  Because of David’s situation?”

Sam nodded.  “That, and I think I kind of like someone.  A guy.” 

Kurt nodded, dreading when Sam confided the identity of the guy.  He really didn’t want to know.  Not at all.  He _so_ did not want to know this.  But he was Sam’s friend, and he needed to listen.

“Okay, so you like a guy.  Is this guy the first one you’ve liked?”

“Here at McKinley, yes.  But I’ve liked guys before at the all boys school I went to before I came here the first time.  But to clarify, I said I _think_ I _kind of_ like a guy.”

Kurt nodded.  “That makes sense.  Okay.  You _think_ you _kind of_ like a guy now, and with David’s situation, you don’t want anybody to know that.  Okay, we can deal with that.”

Sam smiled at him. 

Okay, this would be okay.  He hated that Sam hadn’t trusted him with this, and he hated that Sam had assumed Kurt would judge him.  They’d be fine.  Kurt could help him through this just like he would be helping David. 

“This is new for me.” Sam shrugged.

“Okay, so tell me.  You obviously want to tell me, your grin is so huge right now it’s pretty easy to tell.  So tell me,” Kurt smiled at him in encouragement.

“It’s that guy who replaced Blaine as the Warblers lead singer.  That Sebastian guy.” 


	14. Chapter 14

Kurt sat and stared at Sam, unable or unwilling to believe what he’d just said.  Possibly both. 

Yes, he decided, it was both.  He was definitely unwilling to believe it, and his mind certainly couldn’t process it, so it was definitely both.

“Of course you do.” Kurt got up and crossed over to the window. 

“What do you mean, of course I do?” Sam asked, his voice rising. 

“Nothing.  I mean nothing by it.  So, when did this start?”  Kurt would listen to this because Sam needed him to.  Then he was getting the hell out of this room. 

“Back when we had that sing-off where Blaine got slushied.  I noticed him that night.  He’s kind of sexy.”

Yes, he was.  Sebastian might be a horrible person to Kurt, but he was definitely sexy.  That was part of the problem with Sebastian.

“I can see that,” Kurt replied absently. 

Did it escape _everybody’s_ notice that the slushie had been meant for Kurt?  Blaine had noticed, and he stepped in front of him, but then constantly reminded Kurt how much of a _sacrifice_ it had been.  But nearly everyone else hadn’t cared that it was originally meant for Kurt.

Blaine was fine with it the intended assault on Kurt, going as far as to tease Kurt about it afterwards.  And despite the almost blinding, Blaine had forgiven Sebastian because he’d wanted to get into Sebastian’s pants. 

And he was already in them.  He wondered if Sam knew that. 

“Then came Regionals.  He was pretty sexy that night too.”  Sam’s voice trailed off distractedly. 

Of course he’d noticed.  Everybody noticed Sebastian Smythe. 

“Okay, but you _do_ know that he’s with Blaine right?” Kurt hoped he didn’t sound as blunt as he thought he did.

“Yes.  I know.  I’m not going to act on it.  But the feelings are there.  I just knew that you’d be the right person to talk to about it.”

Of course he was.  

“You know.  This makes that kiss you blew to the Warblers make a lot more sense now.” Kurt’s eyebrow rose and Sam flushed.  “Wait, you’re not _with_ him, are you?  I mean, he didn’t cheat on you with Blaine, did he?” 

“No! He doesn’t know anything about it.  Neither one of them do actually.” Sam said reassuringly, but he flushed with embarrassment over being caught blowing that kiss. 

“Okay.  You’ll be fine, Sam.  We all love you.  We’ll back you up if you decide to make that public knowledge.  And if you decide not to, I’ll be there.” Kurt turned to him and smiled.  “So stop worrying.”

Sam nodded and smiled at him. 

“Does it bother you that much that it’s Sebastian?” Sam asked quietly.

“Is it that obvious?” Kurt looked at him with concern.

“Kind of.  Is it because of the slushie thing?  Because he apologized.” 

He was so tired of people not seeing Sebastian for who he really was.  But there was no way to change that, so he’d have to be resigned to it.

“I know.  Believe me I know.  No, it’s not because of the slushie.  It’s not important, Sam.”  He walked over to the side of the bed where Sam was leaning.  “It’s just not important.” 

He reached down and pulled Sam to his feet.  Kurt hugged him.  “Don’t worry about it.”

Sam hugged back and pulled back with a bright grin.  “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.  I’m going to go now.  I promised David I’d come back to the hospital.”

“Okay.  Talk to you later.”

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Kurt sat in his Navigator, parked in the hospital parking lot, and stared out the window.  What the hell was it about his need to meditate in his car?  Was there no more appropriate place for him to go over his thoughts about something?

He thought he’d done well in Sam’s room.  He’d managed to make it through the conversation without breaking down and screaming.  That was good. 

Sebastian.  Why did it always have to be Sebastian? 

It’s not like Kurt still had a crush on Sam.  Yes, he joked about waiting around for Sam to figure out he was gay or bisexual so that Kurt could have him, but that was merely for the benefit of getting under Mercedes’s skin.  She’d called Kurt crazy for thinking Sam was gay, when they’d first met him. 

And when she’d started dating Sam, she mocked Kurt gently about it. 

Like she’d won.  Like she’d been right all along.  Kurt doubted that she meant it to be as insulting as it had sounded, but he wasn’t sure. 

And now, it turns out that Kurt was more right than either of them had imagined.   

And it stung a little that Sam wasn’t attracted to Kurt and probably never had been.  He’d really liked Sam when the boy had first moved to Lima, and he had made peace with the idea that Sam was straight. 

He’d moved on to Blaine, despite that being the train wreck that it had been.  And now he was moving on with David.  And David was special to him.  Kurt was becoming more attracted to him every day. 

He didn’t actually _want_ Sam, and he knew that for a fact.  A year ago, he would have jumped at the chance to be with Sam Evans.  He was sure of that.  But things had changed a lot over the past year. 

But no, Kurt didn’t want Sam.  It just hurt a little that yet another guy, gay, straight or bisexual, _didn’t_ want Kurt.  Again.

Just like Blaine.  Just like Finn back in sophomore year.

Maybe Blaine had been right all along.  Maybe David didn’t really want _him_ but the _idea_ of him.  Maybe David just _thought_ he wanted Kurt.  Maybe it had been because Kurt was just there.  Out and proud and in David’s face all the time.  Maybe that’s why David thought Kurt was the one for him. 

He’d be the first that had ever really wanted him, that’s for sure.  Nearly everybody else took one look at him and found him lacking in something.  He was _always_ lacking in something. 

 _Fuck_.  Kurt wiped the tears from his eyes. 

It hurt worse to think about that than it had to hear Sam.  He could get over Blaine wanting Sebastian more than Kurt.  He could deal with Sam wanting Sebastian and not Kurt. 

But if it turned out that David didn’t really want him…  That it had been a product of Kurt being the only gay guy David had known… That it had been the _idea_ of Kurt that he really wanted. 

 _That_ Kurt didn’t think he could stand.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“Hey there Yogi,” Kurt smiled as he walked into David’s room.  “When are they springing you from this joint?” 

Kurt pulled the chair up closer to the bed and reached out for David’s hand.  David reached back, almost eagerly, and Kurt began stroking his hand with his fingers.  Just the way David was obsessed with.  He looked up and smiled as David sighed and relaxed into his touch. 

“Fuck, how do you do that?” David muttered. 

“I have no idea, but maybe you’re under my spell.” Kurt grinned.  “And I fully intend to take advantage of this.”

“I’ve always been under your spell, Fancy.” David smiled at him. 

David’s smile was always shy and adorable.  He smiled like he was seeking approval, and it made Kurt want to soothe him and tell him that he never had to seek approval from Kurt for anything. 

“Oh really?  More info I can use against you.” Kurt winked at him.  “Seriously though, do you know when you’re getting out?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.  I have to stay home until my ribs heal enough to go to school.  And then I’ll be at McKinley.  Dad went to register me there today.”

“Finn and Sam know what happened.  They both gave me their word that they’d be on your side if you came back.”

“I wasn’t expecting those two to support me,” David admitted.  “You know, because Hudson’s your brother and Evans was the one that fought me over you.”

“Well, it wasn’t technically _over_ me, you know.  But I understand what you mean.”  Kurt smiled at him.  “They know that I knew you were gay before I left for Dalton.  They know that you being gay was a factor in the bullying.  But they do not know about the kiss.”

“Why not?  You don’t want them knowing I kissed you?” David looked hurt.

Kurt narrowed his eyes at him.  “I’m not ashamed of any of our kisses, thank you very much.  I just didn’t want them to use that against you in their decision to support you.  I didn’t want them focusing on that instead of being there for you.”

“Oh.  I didn’t think of that.”

“No, you didn’t.”  Kurt couldn’t help but be irritated at him. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.  I just hate people assuming they know my reasons for doing something.” 

Blaine used to do it all the time.  His friends always assumed they knew him better than he knew himself.  Sometimes his father did it.  Plus he was still smarting over Sam’s assumptions that he’d judge him for his bisexuality.  But he couldn’t even tell David that because then he would be outing Sam.  Geez.  His no-outing-people policy always caused so much trouble.

“Hey, come here.”  David pulled Kurt toward him and moved over so that his spot next to him was open. 

“Your ribs okay?” Kurt asked while he climbed up into the bed and settled into the spot between David’s body and his good arm. 

“Even if they weren’t, I’d want you right here.”  David stroked Kurt’s shoulder softly.

“I like being right here,” Kurt whispered. 

“Good.”

“So how bad did you and your parents laugh at me earlier?” Kurt smiled into David’s shoulder.

“Not bad.  Mom thinks you’re the cutest thing on the planet though.  My sister thinks you’re pretty, and my dad think we’re getting married soon.  I’m fairly certain that they like you better than me.  All three of them.”

Kurt giggled against him.  “Sorry about that.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right.  I’m not really sorry.”

It felt nice knowing that David’s family didn’t disapprove of him.  He’d spent the duration of his last relationship avoiding his boyfriend’s family because they didn’t like the idea of Kurt.  This was a change that Kurt could get used to.  Acceptance felt nice.

“I missed you Fancy.”

“I’ve only been gone a few hours,” Kurt replied.  “But I missed you too.”

“Still.  I got a message from Sebastian today.  He didn’t come in the room, but he left a message for me with the nurse.”

“Really?  What did it say?”

“I’m not sure I should tell you,” David laughed softly. 

“Why not?”

“You might actually _like_ the message, and then you’ll decide you want to make amends with him.  And then I’ll have to let him back into the room and possibly our lives.”

David looked almost ecstatic at whatever this message had been.  Whatever it had been, it must have been good.

Kurt raised his head slightly and looked at David in confusion.  “Why in the world would I want Sebastian back into our lives?”  _Our lives_. 

Like they were already a couple.  Kurt had repeated it without thinking but he wondered what David thought about that.

David handed a crumpled note to Kurt, and he sat up slightly to use both hands to unfold it.  He burst out laughing when he finished reading. 

He read it aloud to David, just to clarify that he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing. 

“ _JFC Bear Cub, why didn’t anybody tell me Blaine Anderson was this fucking annoying?  If I promise to be good, can I give him back to Hummel?  As I write this, he’s standing here whining about Nude Erections and how they don’t appreciate him.  Is he always such a douche?  Never mind.  Just wanted to tell you and Hummel that I’m sorry.  I was misinformed about some things.  But tell Hummel that if he wants his boy toy back, he can meet me at the Lima Bean tomorrow at 4 pm.  You come too if you’re out of the hospital.  In exchange, I’ll buy him (or both of you) coffee_.  _All my sarcasm and indifference, Seb_.”

“He doesn’t really expect us to go there, right?” Kurt said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  “Oh my god, that’s hilarious.  I can just picture Blaine standing there next to him complaining that someone else got a solo that was meant for him.  Although I must admit.  I’m a bit irritated that it didn’t take him as long to realize that Blaine was annoying.  I always assumed I was much smarter than Smythe.  I’m impressed.  He even called me Hummel instead of Gay-face.” 

“Do you want to go?  I should be out of the hospital in the morning if you don’t want to go alone.”

“Why does he want to talk to me anyway?  I don’t want Blaine back.”

“Maybe he wants to talk about something else.  He and I used to talk some.  Before the other day when he showed his ass in here.”

“Part of me automatically assumes it’s a set up.  How well do you two know each other?” 

“Well, we kind of know each other a little.  We did meet at Scandal’s, you know.”  David flushed a little and looked away from Kurt. 

“You didn’t.”  Please.  _No_.  Just no. 

Not after the day he’d had.  He could not find out that David had been one of Sebastian’s conquests. 

“The answer is maybe because I’m not sure what you’re telling me I didn’t do.  We just made out.  It’s not what you think.  No sex or anything.  We just kissed for about twenty minutes.  He was drunk and was muttering about me being the love of his life.”

 _No_.  Just no.  This was not happening.

“You are _not_ the love of his life he found at Scandal’s but was broken up with after twenty minutes.” Kurt groaned. 

“What?” David looked up at him in confusion.

“The first day I met him.  He said he’d met the love of his life at Scandal’s.  I thought he was being serious and asked if they were still together.  He said that they’d broken up after twenty minutes.”

Of course, he’d also been coming on to Blaine, so he could have been lying about all of it the entire time.

“Well, that sounds familiar.  But there’s no way in hell I’m the love of his life.”

Kurt closed his eyes, unable to even fathom this.  How in the world was it possible?  It wasn’t fair.

How could every gay or bisexual guy Kurt had ever been interested in get mixed up in one way or another with Sebastian Smythe?

“This is a cruel joke being played on me by a God I don’t even believe in.” Kurt decided out loud, and then he nodded when David looked at him, head tilted. 

“It is.” Kurt reaffirmed to David, responding as if David had actually said something.  Kurt got up off the bed and paced back and forth next to David. 

“Why not?  I mean obviously me being gay didn’t break me.  Me being an atheist didn’t break me.  So this is how he’s going to do it.  He’s sent Sebastian into my life as some sort of revenge.”

“Fancy,” David said softly, like he was afraid to draw attention to himself.  “Are you cracking up?”

“Yes.  Yes, I am, David.  Every time I turn around, he’s there.  Trying to take away the people I love.  Getting up in my face.  Trying to make me miserable.  He’s like a fucking plague of locusts.  And look!  Now he’s got me talking about biblical plagues!  And I’m a fucking atheist David!” 

“Fancy, calm down.”  David looked frightened but also slightly amused. 

Kurt wanted to go over and smooth that furrowed brow and tell him that he didn’t have anything to be worried about.  He’d be fine.  It was Sebastian that Kurt needed to take out.  Not David. 

“No.  I will not calm down.  And I’m not taking Blaine back.  I don’t care what he’s done to piss Sebastian off.  You know what he wants don’t you?  He’s had Blaine now, and he wants to give him back because he’s annoying.  And since I’m with you now, he’s going to go after you.  Because you like me, and I like you.  And he knows it.  That’s what he’s planning.  I know it.  He’s setting me up for another session of Let’s See How Much We Can Destroy Hummel.”

David flashed that adorable smile at him.  “You like me?” 

“Focus, David.” Kurt waved a hand dismissively.  “That’s why he wants you to go too.   So he can flirt with you in front of me.  So he can brag about how easy it would be to take you away.  Just like he used to do with Blaine.”

“I am focusing.  I’m focusing on the ‘ _you like me’_ factor of that rant.  But I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”

“No, I’m not.  Maybe I’m a little nuts right now, but that could be explained if I was actually able to tell you how shitty my day has been.  But I can’t.  So you’ll just have to accept that this is exactly what he’s doing because this is how my day has gone.”

“Fancy, you aren’t making sense.”

“I know that!” Kurt shot back undeterred.  “I’d explain it further if I could but I can’t.  Just trust me.  I just know this is what he’s doing.  And he’ll win this time.”

“Fancy,” David said quietly, but Kurt ignored him.

“He’s probably mad that I broke up with Blaine before _he_ got the chance to break us up.  So now he’s going to start in on you.”

“Fancy,” David repeated, but Kurt continued pacing.

“And then you’ll want him too, because everybody else always does.  And then you’ll leave me.”

“Fancy!” David shouted.

“What?” Kurt stopped and turned to him. 

“Come.  Here.  Now.”  David demanded with a husky voice that Kurt found impossible to ignore. 

Kurt walked over to the bed and looked down. 

“Back here.  Now.”  David glanced down at the place on the bed that Kurt now thought of as his spot. 

Kurt nodded and climbed back into David’s bed, settling next to him.  “What?” he whispered.

David pulled Kurt’s face toward his with his good hand and he kissed him softly. 

“When are you going to get it through that beautiful but stubborn head of yours that I want _you_?  _Just you_.  _Not_ Sebastian.  _Not_ Sam.  Well actually, not his ass.  _Not_ any random guy I ran into at Scandal’s.  _Not_ any out or closeted guys at Carmel.  I just want you,” David looked into Kurt’s eyes and waited. 

“Just me?” Kurt whispered the question.

“Yes, just you.”

“Nobody ever _just_ wants me though.  So I think there’s something wrong with you.” Kurt replied.  “Oh, god!  It’s the concussion!  You probably have brain damage now!” 

David snorted and pulled him in for another kiss.  “God, you have more issues that I’ve _ever_ had.  It’s not the fucking concussion.”

“You can’t know that!  What if it is?” This made much more sense.  Nobody wanted Kurt. 

“Then how do you explain me wanting you before?  Last year?  Valentine’s Day?  I didn’t have a concussion then, Genius.”

“That’s because I was there.  Open and in your face.  It wasn’t me you wanted.  It was the _idea_ of me.”  Kurt gestured with his hands in an attempt to make David see what was extremely clear to Kurt.

“What the fuck does that even mean?  Who told you that bullshit?” David glared at him.

“Blaine,” Kurt admitted quietly.

David glared at him.  “Well, fuck.  Of course it was.  Don’t you think you should reevaluate that belief since Bland Anderfuck is the one that put that in your head?”

“ _Bland Anderfuck_?” Kurt snorted.  “Oh, my god.  Anderfuck.  That’s awesome.”

“Not the point, Fancy.  Focus on the reevaluating part of the sentence,” David replied dryly.

“I can’t focus on anything.  I didn’t sleep well last night and then I had a shitty day, and I’m kind of emotional and I’m trying not to fall apart right now.”

“Listen.  I wasn’t kidding about you have more issues than I ever had.  We are going to slow this down, and you are going to let me convince you that you’re the one I want.  And you are going to get over this inferiority complex the shitheads in this town have given you.”

“But,” Kurt interrupted.

“Stop.  I’m here, Fancy.  I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting Sebastian come between us.  Even though I’m pretty sure that’s not what he’s trying to do.  I don’t know what kind of shitty day you’ve had but I’m getting out of here tomorrow and we are going to deal with this.  Together.”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed quietly.

“Now, why don’t you and I both get some sleep before they come and kick you out later.” 

 


	15. Chapter 15

“I’m sorry I was such a maniac last night,” Kurt looked up at David with regret for the apparent nervous breakdown yesterday had driven him to. 

They were on their way to the Lima Bean, but Kurt wanted to get this discussion out in the open before they got there.  Into what he considered Sebastian’s territory now.  He was there so often that Kurt felt he was under attack anytime he stopped just to get coffee.

They didn’t get to discuss it last night, because a nurse had woken him to chase him out of David’s room, and he hadn’t wanted to wake David, so he’d left him a note. 

Then the hospital staff had taken three hours this morning just to get David discharged thanks to misplaced paperwork.  His parents were there, so they couldn’t talk then. 

But this conversation was overdue, especially if they were about to enter Sebastian’s den.

He was ashamed of how much power he’d let Sebastian have over everything. 

He’d just sat back and let Sebastian and Blaine do that to him, over and over again.  He wanted Blaine to defend him, every time.  But Blaine never had.  He’d just sit there, doing nothing but vaguely glaring whenever Sebastian said something cutting to Kurt. 

Granted, Kurt usually gave it right back to the Warbler.  But that wasn’t really the point.  Kurt had been Blaine’s boyfriend, not Sebastian.  Yet most of the time, Blaine was defending the Warbler from Kurt’s complaints instead of the other way around.

He doubted if it had ever occurred to Blaine that the proper response would have been to defend Kurt. 

Yet, David had.  Immediately. 

One or two remarks in that hospital room were all it had taken for David to leap to Kurt’s defense.  That had felt nice, but Kurt was afraid that he could become too dependent on that.  David needed someone to be strong for him right now, after everything that had happened to him.

Blaine had spent months listening to the cutting remarks and not said a word.  That in itself should have told Kurt something.

“It’s fine.  You told me there were issues with Blaine that I needed to know.  You asked me to give you time.  I wasn’t really listening at first because being with you makes me forget.” David smiled at him gently.  “I feel like I’ve been pressuring you.”

“You haven’t been.  And I love how I feel when I’m with you.  That’s part of the issue actually.  I don’t want you to be a rebound boyfriend.  I want more than that.  But my stupid issues crop up on me unexpectedly.  And you have enough issues of your own with what’s going on now.  You don’t need to add mine to it.”

“Kurt, I’ll be anything you want me to be,” David said softly.

“No, I don’t want us to be like that.  I want you to be you.  And I want me to be me.  But I’ve never been the real me with anybody before.  I’m always bending to what someone else wants me to be.  And I’m tired of that.  I want more than that.  And I want you to be David.  My Yogi,” Kurt grinned at him.

“You got it, Fancy,” David replied. 

They pulled into the Lima Bean parking lot and Kurt turned off the engine. 

“Okay, I really don’t want to do this.  We should take you back home.  You’re probably sore from all the shit you went through this morning.”

David opened the door to the Navigator and got out of the car, moving gingerly.  He was steady on his feet though, so that was a good sign.  Kurt was glad that he’d forced him to take a pain pill before getting back into the car, because the ride from the hospital had been rough on him.  Kurt watched as he came around to Kurt’s side of the car and opened the door. 

“Fancy, come on.”

“David,” Kurt glared at him.

“I _need_ you to come _with_ me,” David leaned his head against the car door and looked at him. 

That sounded kind of hot.

“Did you mean that the way it sounded?” Kurt grinned, but then he felt his eyes widen in response at David’s sudden groan. 

“Yes, and no.  Now get out of the car.”

Kurt got down out of the Navigator, and David gestured for him to lead into the Lima Bean. 

When they got inside, Sebastian was sitting alone in the back, in one of the more comfortable chairs in the lounge area.  They made their way over to him, and he stood in greeting. 

“Hey Cub.  You don’t look as bad as you did the other day.” Sebastian nodded for them to sit down.  “Hummel,” he nodded at Kurt.

“Thanks.  You continue to be such a charmer,” David smirked and gestured for Kurt to choose a chair. 

“I do try,” Sebastian rose.  “What can I get you to drink?  I said I’d buy you both coffee.” 

David and Kurt gave him their orders and he was back relatively quickly, setting the Lima Bean cups in front of each of them.

“What’s this about Sebastian?” Kurt attempted an even tone of voice. 

“I cannot believe that I’m saying this to you.  I don’t do this.  This is so out of character for me that it’s not even funny.  But I’m apologizing to you, Kurt.  I’m sorry.”  Sebastian sat back and gestured for Kurt to lay into him if he wanted to do so. 

“For?” Kurt prompted.

“Attempting to take Blaine from you.”  Sebastian’s head lifted and he smirked at Kurt.  “I still don’t like you, Gay-face.  Probably never will.  But I shouldn’t have interfered.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want him anymore and he’s irritating the shit out of you.” Kurt grinned, enjoying this experience very much.  “And the feeling’s still mutual Meerkat.”

“I see Bear Cub told you about the note,” Sebastian nodded.  “I expected that.”

David smiled at Sebastian, “I tried to tell you at Scandal’s that he wasn’t worth your time.”

“You two talked about Blaine?” Kurt turned to David.  “When?  And he wasn’t worth Sebastian’s time?  What about my time?”

“A few times.  Before you and me.” David smiled at him and knocked a knee against his.  “And I’ve told you over and over that he wasn’t worth your time either.”

“So you two _are_ together.  I wondered.  That interferes with my plans considerably,” Sebastian sat back and put a finger to his chin. 

“What exactly is he doing to irritate you?” Kurt smirked as he took a sip of coffee.  It felt nice to hear the wrath of Sebastian Smythe be directed at Blaine for once.  Instead of him. 

“What isn’t he doing?  First of all, he’s become quite the slut-shamer.  Were you aware of that?  He’s very condescending about my conquests.  I find that annoying.”  Sebastian frowned at some obvious memory of an insult from Blaine. 

Kurt laughed.  “I could have told you that.  He did that to a very good friend of mine.  Someone who didn’t deserve Blaine’s derision.  May I ask you something?  I’d like confirmation of something that I’ve been wondering about.  Did he cheat on me with you?  The signs were there, but nothing concrete enough for me to catch him.  I doubt I’d get the truth from him.”

Sebastian sat back as if he were deciding whether or not to answer.  “Yes,” he said finally.

Well, now he knew, and there was no pang of hurt that accompanied the knowledge.  It felt almost like closure.  Like he could finally be done with it now that he knew.   

Kurt nodded in response.  “I thought so.”

“What?  No anger about it?  No justified slap?” Sebastian mocked, but it sounded less scornful than his usual remarks.

“No.  It wasn’t _completely_ your fault.  He wouldn’t have cheated if he hadn’t wanted to,” Kurt shrugged as he answered.  “ _You_ were quite honest about what you wanted.  It was Blaine that wasn’t.”

He felt David’s hand on his shoulder, and he scooted his chair closer so that David’s arm could rest behind him.

Sebastian looked at him seriously, “Does Blaine lie a lot?”

“I have no idea.  Other than his denial that he was involved with you, I’ve never known him to lie.  He lied about me breaking up with him, right?”

Sebastian nodded, “He said he dumped you to be with me.  He was quite upset that day, but I took his word for it.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I don’t do relationships.  I wanted Blaine for the sex.  He seems to think I want more than that,” Sebastian answered unashamedly. 

“You introduced him as your boyfriend at the hospital,” David reminded him.

Sebastian rolled his eyes toward David.   “That was for Hummel’s sake.  I was planning to get under his skin again about the break-up.  But I wasn’t aware that he’d left Blaine for you.”

Kurt started to contradict, but he felt David’s knee nudge him again.  It dawned on him that it probably would be better to just let Sebastian think that.  And it was partially true anyway.  So he decided to follow David’s lead and shut up about it.

“Going back to what you said, what did he shame you about?” Kurt asked quietly.

“He’s angry with me for having so many conquests in the past.  And he seems to think that because I was making out with someone in my dorm, I was cheating on him.  Then I got a lecture of how The Warblers won’t get anywhere if I act cheap.”

Sebastian looked disgusted.  But it appeared to be with Blaine’s attitude rather than his own behavior.

“Oh, god.  The cheap rant?  You got that too?  That’s priceless since he actually cheated with you.  I’ll bet he insinuated that _you_ were the problem, right?” 

Kurt was enjoying this way too much.  He didn’t realize that he had it in him to enjoy someone else’s discomfort.  But it appeared that when that someone was Sebastian, it happened very easily. 

He wasn’t sure if he liked this side of himself.

“I know.  You would think he’d be able to make that conclusion on his own,” Sebastian responded.  “And yes.  Like I should be ashamed for being free with my attention.  I’ve never made that a secret, have I?” 

Sebastian looked confused.  And he seemed to be seeking answers from Kurt. 

It was almost like they were bonding. 

And he couldn’t bond with Sebastian Smythe.  It was unnatural and showed signs of an upcoming apocalypse.

“No, Seb.  You’ve been pretty clear on that the entire time I’ve known you,” David grinned.

“Okay, that’s good to know.  He said something about me giving him mixed signals.  But I always thought my signals were very clear.  I even told him that I was going to call him my boyfriend at the hospital _just_ to get to you.  And he went right along with it.  I’ve never given him reason to think I want to be…” Sebastian shivered with disgust, “the F word.”

“The F word?” Kurt glanced between David and Sebastian.

“ _Faithful_ , Hummel.” Sebastian cringed through the word.

“Ah.” Kurt replied.

Even though it hadn’t hurt to have Blaine’s cheating confirmed, the idea that Blaine would fake being Sebastian’s boyfriend just to hurt Kurt even more did bother him.  And it pissed him off. 

Blaine wasn’t worth the effort of trying to get back at him, though. 

“I was hoping you’d take him off my hands, Hummel.  But I see that isn’t happening.” Sebastian sat back and took a sip of his coffee.

“Oh, hell no.  Fancy’s mine now.” David growled quickly and pulled Kurt closer.

Kurt turned to smile at him, trying to ignore the thrill of pleasure that shot through him when David said that. 

Okay, it was decided.  He really liked possessiveness if it came from David Karofsky. 

“Well, I suppose that’s a good thing.  _If_ I were to care if anything _good_ happens to you, Hummel.”

“Oh, I understand _Seb_ ,” Kurt used David’s nickname for the Warbler, “it wouldn’t do for anybody to discover that _you_ could actually have a heart.”

“True.  That would create issues for me.  If I _did_ have a heart, mind you.”  Sebastian grinned at him from behind his coffee cup.

“Why is it a good thing that I’m with David?” Kurt leaned back into David’s arm gently.   

“Because he seems to care for you.  You’ve tamed the Bear Cub.  It’s, dare I say, sweet?”  Sebastian looked as if the comment had been painful for him to admit to.

David smirked at him, “It bothers you that much that Kurt might actually be happy?”

“It appears so.  It’s no fun having a nemesis if you have no ammunition to use against him.”  Sebastian shrugged and glared at Kurt.

He was acting like it had been Kurt’s intention to become a happy person _solely_ to irritate Sebastian.

Kurt smirked at that thought, and he wondered how much of Sebastian’s behavior had been about getting Blaine versus just making Kurt miserable.  He wasn’t even gloating that he’d been the one cheating with Blaine. 

“I’m not your nemesis, Sebastian.  I’m nobody’s nemesis.  I don’t want to fight with you anymore.  I don’t want to fight with _anybody_ anymore.”

“Fighting with you is fun.  I want that back.  I wanted you to take Blaine back so my life can get back to normal.” Sebastian glared at him.  “If you’ll consider it, I’ll even let you gloat in public,” he offered with a smirk.  “Come on.  I’m obviously desperate here.” 

“No.  You wanted him.  You have him.  So now you have to deal with him.” Kurt smirked back.

“Were you aware that he’s petitioned The Warblers to see if they’ll let him back in if he transfers back to Dalton?  He wants my solo spot.  He actually _told_ me that the rest of the group begged him to come back.  They offered him my position,” Sebastian looked outraged.

“I can see that.  The Warblers loved him.  Worshipped the furniture he jumped on, actually.  He got whatever he wanted from them.  That’s why he thinks nobody in New Directions appreciates him.  They love him, and he has scored nearly all of the male solos since he’s joined.  But that’s not enough for him.  It’s never been enough for him.”

“But he actually _told_ me!” Sebastian sat back.  “He didn’t even care that he’d be taking the solos away from me.  He sounded like I should be glad to have him do it as long as it got him back into the group.” 

He sounded outraged that his feelings hadn’t been taken into consideration. 

Kurt sat back and marveled at the fact that Sebastian Smythe was upset about his _feelings_ being hurt.  He would have laughed, but the sight of Sebastian finding out that Blaine was just that oblivious was punishment enough.  He couldn’t even mock him without feeling a tad bit guilty about it. 

“I doubt he even thought about how you’d feel about that.  He’s oblivious to anything that doesn’t have anything to do with him.”

Kurt noticed David laughing beside him.  “What?”

“It’s just ironic.  Watching you two bonding over shared disgust of Bland Anderfuck.”

Kurt turned to Sebastian and saw his mouth twitch in amusement at David’s nickname.

“That’s clever, Cub.  Mind if I borrow that?” Sebastian’s eyebrow rose in continued amusement.

“Feel free.  You seem to dislike him as much as I do.”

“How is it that it took everybody else much less time to see this than it did for me?”  Kurt was beginning to get disgusted with himself.

“Because you like to believe the best in everybody, Fancy.”  David looked at him and flashed that adorable grin.  “Even when it’s hard to find.  After all, you found it in me.”

“That wasn’t hard to find, David.  It was there already.  You just needed the right motivation to let it show,” Kurt cupped his hand over David’s cheek and smiled.

“Please.  Get a room.” Sebastian sat back and waved at them dismissively.

“Gladly,” David replied without his eyes leaving Kurt’s. 

And at this moment, David was looking at him the way Finn looked picturing that diner during their lunch.  _Longingly_. 

Like all he wanted was to listen to Sebastian and take Kurt somewhere they could be alone. 

“Stop.” Kurt grinned at him.  “Behave yourself.  For now anyway,” he whispered.

“Well, when you come out, you do it big, don’t you Cub?  I thought all this public shit made you nervous,” Sebastian interrupted.

“It did.  But Kurt’s worth it.  And I’m not exactly in the closet anymore.  Getting beaten up by a football team for your sexuality and then having the news plastered all over the front page of the paper kind of handles that for you.”

“Very true. I’m offended though, Cub.  I only got twenty minutes in Scandal’s.  He gets you in public.”  Sebastian smirked.

“You really thought that would get to me didn’t you?” Kurt’s eyebrow lifted in amusement.  “He already told me about you two.”

“Damn.  Cub.  You are eliminating all my ammo.  First you steal him from Blaine, and now this.”  Sebastian raised his cup in admiration.  “Nice move though.”

David nodded his head in agreement. 

“I’m not sure what is weirder.  You two admiring each other’s skills.  Or you and I having a civil conversation,” Kurt remarked to Sebastian.

Sebastian glared at him.  “I have been known to be civil towards people.”

“Never to me, though,” Kurt reminded and sipped his now cold coffee. 

“People can change,” Sebastian replied.

“Do you want to change?  You give the impression that you are quite happy with yourself just as you are,” Kurt looked at him seriously.

“I’ll change if you help me get rid of the former Cyclops,” Sebastian smirked. 

He must be desperate to get Blaine off his back. 

“Just dump him,” Kurt waved his hand flippantly.  “Get it over with.”

“You don’t understand.  He won’t listen,” Sebastian pulled out his phone, opened it and scrolled down, then slid it across the table. 

Kurt picked up the phone and scrolled through all of the messages Blaine had sent Sebastian.   He snorted and looked up at Sebastian. 

“What did you do to him?  I’ve seen him needy, but not this needy.” 

The messages were whiny, and full of demands about Sebastian’s whereabouts, his companions, and when he’d call Blaine again.  Some of them came just minutes apart from each other.  Kurt scrolled back and found ones from the past few months.  Those were sexts. 

Of course.  He hadn’t expected any differently. 

“May I?” He asked, requesting permission to see the others. 

“Please.  You should probably know.”  Sebastian gestured at the phone.

It was surreal.  Discussing sexts as if they were making small talk.

There were tons of them.  In the hundreds.  And from what he could tell, most were initiated by Blaine.  Not Sebastian.  Kurt handed the phone back and shook his head before picking his coffee up again. 

“You okay?” David rubbed his shoulder absently. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.  It’s just a little startling to see proof of what you’ve always suspected.  You know?”  Kurt snuggled up against David’s side.  “I’m fine,” he repeated.

He looked up at Sebastian, “I hope you have an unlimited texting plan.  You’re going to need it.”

Sebastian snorted, and because Kurt had waited for him to take a sip of his coffee before speaking, he nearly choked on it. 

“That’s not a good sign,” he replied, cleaning up coffee from the table.  “Touche, Hummel.” 

“I think I owe you an apology too, Sebastian.” 

Both David and Sebastian responded with looks of confusion.  “Why?” Sebastian asked.

“Well, it appears that I was wrong.  It seems that _Blaine_ is the one who smells like Craigslist.” 


	16. Chapter 16

David watched as Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. 

He hadn’t seen Seb enjoy a conversation like this, well.  Ever. 

Seb didn’t do friends.  He did conquests. 

“That was good, Hummel.  I’ve misjudged you all this time.”  Seb raised his coffee cup in a toast to Kurt.

“Yes, you have,” Kurt laughed along with him.

“Craigslist?” David looked at Kurt in confusion.  What the hell did Craiglist have to do with anything? 

Kurt patted his arm and smiled, “I’ll explain later.  I promise.”

It was surreal watching how cool and collected Kurt was talking to Sebastian.  Especially after the breakdown he’d had the night before about the Warbler. 

Kurt was stronger than he knew.  He’d just never had anybody in his life to help him see that. 

Well, he had Mr. Hummel.  But David doubted that Mr. Hummel wanted to help Kurt find himself with regard to his sexuality and love life.

David felt Kurt tense beside him, and he turned to see what was wrong. 

Kurt’s glance slid to the door of the Lima Bean, and David turned to see Blaine entering.  And behind Blaine were Sam Evans and Finn Hudson. 

 _Shit_. 

They had to be here for David and Kurt. 

And Evans and Hudson didn’t know about Kurt and David being _‘Kurt and David.’_

He started to move his arm, but he caught a glimpse of Kurt’s face.  The narrowed eyes and pursed lips sent the message that if he moved his arm away, he’d be in trouble for it later.  So he settled his arm back where it was, around Kurt’s shoulders.

He could do this.  This was just Evans, who was protective of Kurt as a good friend.   And Hudson, Kurt’s somewhat protective step-brother.  And Blaine, who hated David with a passion. 

Yeah, this was going to be fun.

All three approached the table and glared down at Kurt.  David glanced at Seb, who was taking in the scene with amusement. 

And his eyes seemed to be raking up and down Evans’s body.  Interesting. 

David smirked at him and kicked him under the table. 

Seb glared back and shrugged.  His eyes sent the message of _‘can you blame me?’_

“Behave,” David whispered, and Seb frowned with displeasure.

“Kurt, can we talk to you?” Finn asked, arms crossed in front of him. 

“That depends.  Why?” Kurt smiled up at his step-brother, and then glanced at Sam, but he didn’t leave David’s arms.

Sam threw his hands up in a friendly gesture.  “Don’t blame me.  I came along to make sure these two didn’t say something stupid.” 

David kicked out a chair and gestured for Sam to sit in it.  “You’re welcome to stay.  Hudson, if you can talk to Kurt without treating him like he’s four years old, then you can sit down too.”

David pointed at Blaine with one hand.  “You, however, are not welcome.”

Sam sat down and flashed a big dopey grin at the people at the table.  No wonder Kurt had been crushing on him the year before.  Evans was fucking adorable when he did that.  David thought he saw Sam’s glance linger on Seb a little too long, but he decided he was seeing things.  Evans was straight. 

David turned back to Bland, who was glaring at Seb.  Sebastian’s indifference was back, but it was only directed at Bland.  He was actively admiring Evans now, and David saw his brow quirk upwards when Sam turned that grin on the Warbler. 

Kurt looked between them, and he had a look of discomfort on his face.  David tilted his head and looked at his Fancy, but Kurt just shook his head. 

He was probably worried that Seb coming on to Sam would freak Evans out.

“What do you want, Finn?”

“Isn’t there something you need to tell me?” Finn jerked his head towards David.  “About him?”

“No.  Not really.  I don’t believe there’s any reason for me to tell you anything.”

“You didn’t even ask us,” Finn shouted, and David had to control his anger. 

“Ask you for what?  Who is the us I’m supposed to ask?” Kurt glared at Finn and crossed his arms in front him.

Blaine turned his glare from Seb to Kurt. 

“Really Blaine?  You thought running to Finn and tattling about me would help you do what exactly?  Get me back?  Get even with me?  What?  You are ridiculously childish.” Kurt responded. 

Kurt turned to Seb and gestured to Blaine, “Do you see what you wanted?”

David snorted when Seb shrugged at him and replied, “I make mistakes.  I’m not the great and perfect Kurt Hummel, you know.”  Then he winked at Kurt.

“What the hell?” Bland shouted.  “You’re friends now?” 

Bland stared between Kurt and Sebastian in disbelief.  Sam snorted and looked away from Bland.  Evans must be a member of the _I Hate Bland Anderfuck Club_.  He felt that the club was getting more numerous every day, and he smiled to himself. 

“Yes, we’re friends.  In fact, we’ve been discussing things that we should have talked about a long time ago.” Kurt smirked.  “I’m going to get another coffee.  You guys want more?  I’ll buy this time, Seb.”

“ _Seb_?” Bland’s voice reached octaves that David thought only Fancy could reach.

“That _is_ my nickname,” Seb grinned.  “I’ll take a latte, Kurt.  What about you, gorgeous?” Seb turned to direct the question to Sam. 

Evans flushed and muttered that he’d take his usual.  Kurt nodded, obviously familiar with his order. 

“I’ll get you one too, Finn.  You can stay here and fail at intimidating David.  I’ll be back in a minute.” Kurt flashed a gorgeous grin at David and left to order the coffees.

“What are you playing at Karofsky?” Bland shot at him when Kurt was out of earshot. 

Seb and David shared a glance. 

Seriously?  Did this hobbit actually think he was intimidating? 

“I’m not playing at anything.” David looked up at Bland.  “Say what you have to say before Fancy gets back.  You’ve done enough to hurt him.” 

“At least I didn’t bully him,” Bland replied, apparently proud that he’d come up with such an original comeback. 

“Wow.  That’s rich coming from you.” David smirked. 

“What do you mean?” Bland asked angrily.

“I mean that you spent your entire relationship emotionally battering him.  He got tired of it.  I think what you did to him was much worse than anything I did.”

“How so?” Bland shot back.

“Because I wasn’t his fucking boyfriend at the time, you idiot.  He didn’t trust me.  He trusted you, and look what it got him,” he nearly came up out of his seat, until his ribs protested.

David sat back, pissed at himself for letting Bland get to him.  He’d probably given away too much of Kurt’s emotional state to Bland. 

 _Fuck_.  He may have given him information to come at Kurt with later.

“What did you do?” Finn turned on Bland. 

Bland shifted uncomfortably next to the much taller boy.  “That’s not up for discussion right now, Finn.”

“You’re the boyfriend of the talented but annoying Rachel Berry, right?”  Sebastian looked up at Finn.

Finn nodded, and David snorted. 

Hudson just agreed that his girlfriend was annoying without sparing a second thought.  No wonder he was always in trouble.  If he did this normally, he couldn’t imagine how Berry put up with him. 

“What he did to Kurt was cheat.  With me,” Seb smirked at Bland and sat back proudly.

“You did what?” Finn turned again on Bland.  “You asshole.”

This was going better than he’d expected. 

David wondered what Kurt had told his family about his break-up with Bland.  Obviously it hadn’t been the fear that he’d been cheating.  So he must have told them something else.

David saw that Sam had turned to glare at Seb too. 

“Forget this shit.  Just forget it.” Bland muttered.

Bland stalked away, almost bumping into Kurt as he returned to the table with all the coffee orders. 

“I see that went well.  What did I miss?” Kurt put the tray in the middle of the table, but he grabbed David’s and sat it in front of him.  “Anything good?”

“Anderfuck apparently convinced your bro something bad about us, but he hasn’t gotten around to telling me what.  Then Bro got distracted after admitting that his girlfriend is annoying.  Then Seb confessed that he’d cheated with Bland.  Then Evans glared at Seb in your defense.  That’s about it.” 

Kurt looked at him and smiled. “Thanks for the rundown, Yogi.”

“No problem, Fancy.” He pulled Kurt towards him and rested Kurt’s head on his shoulder. 

“What’s with all the nicknames?  And why don’t I have one?” Sam asked, pouting. 

Seb looked at Sam, and a full smile crept across the Warbler’s face.  Oh yes.  That was definitely Seb’s _interested in the new guy_ face.  David had seen that face quite often at Scandal’s.  He wondered who’d end up breaking the news to him about Sam’s preference.

“Do you want to be Trouty?  Or would you rather have a new one?” Kurt leaned over and patted Evans on the hand, smiling at him indulgently.  “Or we can give you a Na’vi name,” Kurt grinned.

Evans smiled back excitedly.  He was just way too fucking cute. 

It was annoying how much Kurt already adored him.  It was a good thing the boy was straight, or David would have even more competition for Fancy.  That was fucking obvious. 

“Trouty?” Seb asked, grinning at Evans.  “What’s that about?”

Kurt sighed, and he glanced back and forth between Seb and Evans again.

Sam flashed that dopey grin at Seb, “My mouth.  It’s so big that one of my exes named me Trouty Mouth.  It’s kind of grown on me.”

“I wouldn’t mind letting it grow on me either,” Seb flirted obviously and Sam flushed pink with embarrassment. 

Kurt groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.  “Not the time, Seb.  And that was really a horrible line.  You are usually much more imaginative than that.” 

Which earned him a glare from Seb.  And Evans. 

David snorted, impressed that Seb had stooped to that level of come-on to flirt with Evans.  “I don’t know.  I kind of like it.  Cause it sounds like something I’d say.”

Sebastian looked up in concern, obviously horrified that he’d use a line that David might use. 

“Don’t worry Seb.  They can’t all be winners,” David smiled and toasted him with his cup.

Finn pulled up a chair and sat at the table.  “I guess Blaine wasn’t right then.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s not.  But what exactly did he tell you about David and me?” Kurt smiled at him, all trace of anger at his step-brother gone from that beautiful face. 

“That he was bullying you into dating him.  And that’s why you broke up with him.” Finn said it as if it made perfect sense.

“Dude, were you dropped on your head?  What was I going to do?  Tie him up, throw him in my truck, carry him over my shoulder into a restaurant and then force feed him when he protested the date with a fucking hunger strike?”

Kurt snorted coffee through his nose.  “That reply came way too quickly.  Have you actually considered that?”

“The tying up part, yes.  The rest no.”  David leered at him. 

Kurt’s eyes darkened at him, and he fidgeted in his seat.  “Thanks for making Finn feel better about it,” he answered dryly. 

But the look didn’t go away.  The look that made it seem like he liked the idea of being tied up.  Damn.

“Well, when you put it that way, it does sound kind of stupid,” Finn admitted with a grin.

“You are way too fucking gullible.  How do you survive every day?” David punched Hudson’s shoulder.

“Rachel and Kurt actually.  I’m pretty sure if they weren’t around, I’d have done something to get myself killed by now,” Finn shrugged.

“You’re just lucky that she and I actually care enough about you not to kill you ourselves,” Kurt smiled.

Finn nodded in agreement. 

“Dude, I told you it was stupid.  You know Kurt.  He’s smart and he’s the bravest guy at our school.  He’s not going to let somebody do that to him,” Sam turned that grin on Kurt.

Stupid fucking Evans. 

Always saying the right things to make Fancy light up like a fucking Christmas tree. 

David pulled Kurt towards him, and the boy dropped his head onto David’s shoulder.  David let his hand creep up, and he began threading his hand into Kurt’s hair. 

 _His Fancy._   He’d get that through Evans’s head one way or another. 

Not that he had to worry about him, because the other boy was straight.  But it was the principle of the thing.  Kurt was already enamored with Sam, and he’d already pointed out that he had “ _dibs_ ” on Trouty.

“Are you still tired?” David asked when Kurt’s eyes fluttered closed. 

“Mmmhmm,” Kurt answered softly.

He should make Fancy sit up.  Seb was smirking at the sight of them. 

This was going to give Seb too much ammo to use against Kurt when his defenses were down later.  But he’d never be able to say no to letting Kurt cuddle up against him.  Kurt had him wrapped around his gorgeous porcelain finger.

Sam stared and nudged Finn with his shoulder.  David watched Finn turn to question Evans, and then he looked at what Sam was pointing out.  Their mouths dropped open as they stared at Kurt.  Then Evans flashed that dopey grin again.  Finn just looked confused. 

But then, Finn was usually confused. 

“What?” David asked him.

“He’s letting you touch his hair,” Finn sounded shocked.  “Nobody can do that.  Not even his dad.  The one and only time I saw Blaine even try to do that, Kurt slapped his hand away.”

David smirked at him.  “Maybe I bullied him into letting me.”

Finn flushed but smiled, “I get it, okay?”

“Don’t be mean to him, David.  He’s harmless.  Most of the time anyway,” Kurt muttered and sat up. 

David pulled his hand out his hair regretfully. 

“Did you mess it up again?” Kurt looked at him with an indulgent smile.

“A little,” David shrugged.  “You let me though.”

“I know.  I just want to know if I need to go fix it.”

“It’s not bad.”

Kurt continued to smile at David but snapped, “Shut up Seb.  I don’t want to hear it.”

David turned to see Seb smirk behind his coffee cup.  “Not saying a word, Hummel.” 

“I’ll be right back,” Kurt leaned in and kissed David then whispered in his ear, “I’ll let you explain while I go fix my hair.”

Shit. 

He watched Kurt get up and walk to the bathroom, and then he turned back and found a glaring step-brother staring at him. 

“What now, Hudson?  He’s a big boy.  If he wants to kiss me, that’s his business and not yours.”

“Now that he’s gone, we do need to talk,” Evans turned to him, all serious now.  Any sign of the pouting, adorable boy that Kurt had dibs on was gone.  “You hurt him.  We hurt you.” 

“Yeah,” Finn agreed. 

Seb sat back and grinned at him.  “I’ll back you up Cub.  After all, I live for Hummel’s downfall.” 

“I’m not going to hurt him.  And if you two were so concerned about defending his honor to someone who hurt him, why aren’t you two out beating Bland’s ass right now?”

“He has a point, Gorgeous,” Seb responded, earning another flush from Evans.

“Look Smythe.  You need to stop flirting with him because Sam is straight.  That makes him uncomfortable,” Finn glared at the Warbler.

“Geez.  Finn.  Would you fucking stop?  You don’t know anything about what makes me feel uncomfortable.  It doesn’t bother me anymore than the thing with Kurt did last year.  So butt out.  It’s none of your business,” Sam muttered at his friend.

What thing with Kurt last year?  What was Fancy not telling him about Evans?

“But Sam, you’re straight.  It’s not right to let him flirt with you like that.  You know what could happen.” Finn protested. 

This must be what Kurt was talking about when he mentioned that Finn had issues that popped up every now and then.  He wasn’t comfortable with gay men flirting with straight men.  That was obvious.

“Finn, back off.” Evans whispered.

“Why can’t you see the problem here, Sam?”

“Because I’m not straight, you fucking idiot.  I’m bi!” Evans shot back.

“What?” Finn asked, clearly confused. 

“What?” David repeated. 

Did Kurt know that Evans was bisexual?  He hadn’t seemed to think that was true that day they were discussing it in David’s house.  But then again, he had said that Evans was either straight or his bisexuality was hidden very well.  He hadn’t come right out and said that Evans was bi or wasn’t.  Cause Fancy doesn’t out people.  Not since that day with Bland on the stairs.

“Well now.  _That_ is very good news,” Seb added with a lascivious grin.

“What is very good news?” Kurt asked when he got back to the table.

“That gorgeous here is bisexual,” Seb offered the answer for him.


	17. Chapter 17

Kurt gasped and looked at Sam, surprise evident on his face.  But it was as if he was surprised that Sam had mentioned it.  Not surprised that he was bisexual. 

There was also something else in his eyes that looked like hurt. 

So he _had_ known.  But for how long?

“Come on, Fancy.  Let’s go.  Seb can’t flirt with Gorgeous here with us around, and I think Finn is overwhelmed.  Let’s go make out somewhere.” 

David was playing it off so that Kurt didn’t get embarrassed and give Seb more ammunition against him. 

Kurt was so easy to read.  And Seb was _really_ good at reading him.  It didn’t make for a good combination.  Seb might have apologized, but he was still Sebastian Smythe. 

“Okay,” Kurt grabbed his bag from the floor.  “I’ll talk to you guys later.  Right, Sam?”

Sam glanced up, flushed pink with embarrassment at Kurt’s stare, and nodded.  “We’ll talk later.”

David pulled Kurt out of the Lima Bean and waited for him to retrieve his car keys.  He walked around to the passenger side and waited for Kurt to unlock the door.  He grimaced a little as he climbed inside, but he turned to Kurt when both doors were shut. 

“Let’s go talk about this somewhere else,” David suggested. 

“Talk about what?” Kurt started the car and backed out of the parking spot, and then he turned out of the lot onto the main road.

“This Sam thing.”

“There is no Sam thing, David.” Kurt looked at him quietly.

“From your reaction in there, I’d say there is a Sam thing.”

“Please stop.  It’s not what you think.”

“What I think is that you got caught up in your no-outing policy and that Sam being bisexual and letting Seb flirt with him bothers you.  Because you called dibs on him.”

“Of course you do.  Why wouldn’t you think that?  Whatever.  I’ll take you home and we can talk about this later.”

“I would rather talk about it now.”

“Well, I wouldn’t!” Kurt shouted.  “I’m sorry.  This.  This issue is part of what was bothering me yesterday.  Part of the reason I had a shitty day.”

“Because Sam is bisexual?” 

Did Kurt still want Sam?  After all this time?

“Mostly because Sam admitted yesterday that he didn’t _trust_ _me_ enough to tell me before because he thought I’d be judgmental over the bisexuality thing.  At least not until I proved myself by keeping your secret so well for you.  _Then_ he realized that I was actually trustworthy enough to come out to.”

Kurt slapped the button to turn on the radio in a fit of anger. 

“Yet, he sat there and admitted it to Finn, who isn’t accepting of any sexuality that isn’t straight.  Finn, of all people.  Someone who will make his life miserable about it, and he knows it.  And he only said it today because he wants in Sebastian’s pants.  _After_ telling me that he wasn’t going to make a move on Sebastian because of Blaine.  And up until today I thought Blaine and Sebastian were a couple, so I couldn’t very well say anything to Blaine even if Blaine knew about Sam.  Which he doesn’t.”

So he hadn’t imagined the signals Evans was giving Seb.  At least his radar wasn’t completely off.  He wouldn’t go so far as to say he had any kind of reliable gaydar.  But his was improving obviously.

David watched as Kurt continued ranting.  Damn.  He wished he hadn’t brought it up now.

“And of course, I couldn’t warn Finn about it.  Or warn Sebastian about hurting Sam, and Sam’s been hurt enough.  There’s no telling what Sebastian could do to him if girls who were supposed to _love_ Sam hurt him.  But of course, I couldn’t tell Sebastian any of that.  And I couldn’t exactly tell you why I was upset because I don’t fucking out people!” 

“Your no-outing policy fucks up your life a lot, doesn’t it?” David reached out and covered the hand that Kurt had rested on the gear shift.

“Yes.  And I wish people wouldn’t fucking come out to me.  Then I wouldn’t have to keep secrets that make _everybody_ suspicious of me because _they_ think they know me better than I know myself.”

Ouch.  He’d deserved that.

“And yeah.  It does bother me that Sam finally came out.  Now.  I don’t _want_ him.  But it kind of hurt yesterday to find out that even though I was the only gay guy he knew last year, he _still_ wasn’t attracted to me.  I always wondered how he could be the most accepting straight guy on the fucking planet.  But now I know.  He’s bi.  And again, _not_ attracted to me.  But it’s not something I can even be mad about because he’s just Sam.  Lovable, dopey Sam.  And when you get mad at Sam, it makes you feel like you’re kicking a fucking puppy.  And that doesn’t even matter now, because I _don’t_ want him.  I want _you_.  But that’s not the fucking point.”

“I love it when you say shit like that and you don’t even realize it.” David smiled. 

“Shut up.  I’m not done.”

David smirked but he did as he was told.  It was safer.

“Stupid fucking issues.  Blaine said he wanted me, but he wanted Sebastian more.  Sam didn’t want me at _all_ , and now that he feels comfortable enough to come out, it’s because he wants Sebastian.  Finn never wanted me at all, but that at least I can deal with because he’s fucking straight.”

Kurt snorted with derision.  “And with Blaine convincing me that I was just a symbol of all things gay and happy for you, I always feel like that’s the only reason you want me.  And I’m fucking tired of feeling like I’m always someone’s second fucking choice.” 

“You’re not my second choice, Kurt,” David said quietly.

“I know that you _say_ that.  And I think that you _believe_ that.  But I’m not sure that _I_ believe that.”

“Well, try to.  It would make things easier on both of us.”

“Did I ever mention to you that before Blaine and I started dating, he made out with Rachel?”

“No,” David replied.  What did Rachel Berry have to do with this entire situation?

“It was at her party.  Just a few weeks before, Valentine’s Day of last year to be exact.  Blaine wanted the Warblers to help him serenade the guy he liked.  I thought it was me because Blaine is the king of fucking mixed signals, you know.  But he wanted to sing to a guy who worked at the GAP.” 

Kurt wiped tears from his eyes with his sleeve.  It made David want to find Anderfuck and beat the shit out of him.  Not that David was in any shape to do that right now.

“I told Blaine how I felt about him.  That I liked him.  And he turned me down.  He said he wanted to only be friends with me.  He wasn’t attracted to me.  But then, at the party, he started making out with Rachel.  Can you imagine what it felt like?  A gay guy who wasn’t attracted to me was, while drunk, attracted enough to Rachel Berry to make out with her in front of me.”

“Stop the car.  You’re too upset to be driving,” David suggested.

“It was Rachel of all people, David.  The one person who would take what he’d done and rub it in my face.  That fucking hurt.  That’s what it felt like.  Like I was nothing.  Like I wasn’t even worth the time he’d used up thinking about _why_ I wasn’t worthy of his time.  But Sebastian’s certainly worth it.”    

Kurt pulled off onto the side of the road, and his hands were shaking on the steering wheel.    

“And it felt the same when I found out about Sam yesterday.  He’s been through three girls who treated him like shit.  Treated him like he wasn’t worth anything.  And yet, last year, I liked him enough that I _would_ have dated him.  And I would have never treated him like that.  Because I’ve been there.  But I wasn’t worth his time.  But hey, Sebastian is.  _Again_.”

David reached out and held Kurt’s hand. 

“And it never fucking matters whether or not I get hurt in the process.  All that matters to people is whether or not I’m there for them when they need something.  Whether I’ll be judgmental or not.  Whether I’ll be there when _they_ need support.  When Rachel was trying to get Blaine, after they kissed, she actually said ‘ _who cares about you, Kurt, I might get a boyfriend out of this_.’  And she’s right.  That’s the worst part.  Everybody has that attitude.”

David pulled Kurt across the seat and onto his lap.  “Finish.  Get it all out.  I’m not going anywhere.”

“Do you know why the guys in Glee confronted you?  Because their girlfriends made them do it.  And Rachel only cared because I’d stopped fighting her for solos.  I was happy somebody did.  And Sam actually fought you.  But it wasn’t because they finally came to their senses that they needed to back me up.  Because it doesn’t fucking matter to anybody whether I get hurt or not!”

“It matters to people, Fancy.”

Kurt ignored him, “They _yelled_ at me for running to Dalton.  You’d told me you would kill me, and even though I know now that you didn’t mean it, I didn’t know it _then_.  And did they understand why I ran?  No.  They were angry that I was leaving.  Finn was just mad that I hadn’t consulted him about it.  They acted like I was abandoning them.”

“Kurt,” David held him tighter, and he didn’t care if his ribs hurt or not.  “I’m so sorry, Fancy.”

“I’m just so fucking tired, David.  You know when Blaine kissed Rachel?  He said I was just as big a bully as you were then because I yelled at him.  He’d fucking hurt me and he didn’t care.  All he cared about was that I support him in his confusion over his sexuality.”

David felt tears falling down his face too.  It hurt to know that he couldn’t do anything to take the pain away.  And that some of the things that Kurt needed to get out were caused by things David had done. 

He might have been involved indirectly.  But that didn’t make it less painful for him to hear. 

Or for Kurt to go through.

“And even when he kissed her again and realized he really was gay, he didn’t even want me then!  I had to fucking sing about a dead bird for him to think ‘ _Oh wait.  Kurt’s gay.  Maybe I’m attracted to him_.’  And I waited for him for months to get his attention.  And then I found out after we finally have sex that the reason he wanted to fuck me was so he could be a better actor.  Do you have any idea how it felt when I realized that I wasn’t even worth _fucking_ , David?”

“Baby, stop.  You are so worth it.  You’re worth everything.”

Kurt was worth everything to David, but he refused to believe it about himself. 

“All teenage boys want sex, right?”

David shrugged, “Yes.”  He felt like that might be the wrong answer though.

“Yet my teenaged boyfriend didn’t think it was worth it to fuck me without needing another incentive.   And on the first try, he had to be drunk.  Wanting me wasn’t enough.  What am I even saying?  He never wanted me.  How can you love someone but not want to fuck them unless it makes you more believable in a fucking high school play?”

“Fancy, baby.  Stop.”

David closed his eyes in frustration.  He knew Kurt needed to get it out, but it didn’t make it easier to listen to.  He wanted to find Blaine and kill him.  And this time the threat wasn’t because he was confused.  It was because he was fucking pissed off. 

“What is so fucking wrong with me that my own boyfriend had to be drunk and motivated to improve his acting before he could bring himself to have sex with me?” 

“Nothing’s wrong with you, baby.”

“But it’s how I feel sometimes.  And I’m sick of it.  And it fucking pisses me off that I let myself get to that point.  And just how fucked up does it make _me_ because I gave in and slept with him?”

“You’re not fucked up, baby.  He was.  He is.” 

“And you know what?  I almost feel sorry for him.  How fucking pathetic was I that not only did he not want to fuck me without needing another motivation, even having me there as a regular source of sex wasn’t good enough.  Apparently, I wasn’t even fucking good enough at it to keep him from getting it from Sebastian on the side.”

“Fancy,” David whispered.  He wanted to comfort him, but he felt like a useless lump who didn’t know what the fuck he was doing.  He felt helpless.  How the hell was he going to get Fancy through this shit?  Without killing Bland, that is.

“And I hate him.  I hate him for putting it in my head that the only reason you kissed me was because I was there.  Because I was open and gay and right in front of you.  I hate him for convincing me that you were just confused.  That you were scared and acting out against the only source of flaming gayness that you could find.  Those are my issues, David.  And you still think you want to be with me?  Can you be happy being with someone who is always thinking deep down that you’ll never _really_ want him?”

“I _know_ I want to be with you,” David corrected.  “And I’m going to spend every minute of the day convincing you of that.”

“Then you’re fucking insane,” Kurt cried.  “I’m too messed up for you.  You need someone stronger.”

“Maybe I am insane.  But I’m here, aren’t I?”  David kissed him on the temple and pulled Kurt’s head against his shoulder.  “I’m still here.  And you’re perfect for me.”

“And I’m scared to death to let myself love you because I’m afraid you’ll come to your senses and realize that I’m second choice for you too.  And I’m even more scared that you’ll choose Sebastian.  Because everybody does.  But you know what’s worse?”

“What baby?”

“What’s worse is that I’m also scared to death that I’ll hurt you.”

“We said before that we could easily hurt each other,” David reminded. 

“I’m scared that I’ll push you away from me or that I’ll end up sleeping with you not because I love you or want you.  But because someone finally _wants_ me, and I’m so fucking starved for someone to want me that I’ll probably sleep with you before I’m ready, and then I’ll screw up everything between us.  And I’ve probably already screwed it up by having meltdowns two days in a row.  This by itself is enough to push you away from me.  But I can’t fucking stop.”

“Fancy,” David held him tighter.  “I’m not going anywhere.  I’ll admit you’re scaring me, but that’s because I don’t know how to make things better for you.  But I’m not leaving.”

What the hell was he supposed to do?  He had no answers for this.

“I know I want you.  But I don’t know if I love you.  But knowing that you love me, or at least that you think you love me, is way too powerful for me.  It tempts me into things I have no business being tempted into doing.  I want to be wanted so badly, David.  But I don’t want to use you.  I don’t want to sleep with you just to prove to myself that _someone_ finally thinks that I’m worth fucking.”

“I don’t know what to say to you right now.  I’m afraid that if I tell you how I really feel, it’ll make things worse right now,” David admitted with regret. 

He wanted to tell Kurt that he wanted to sleep with him so badly that he’d take Kurt anyway he could get him.  But it wasn’t what he needed to hear at the moment.  Even if it was the truth. 

But he also wanted to tell him that he loved that Kurt was trying to put him first in all this.

“We’ve only been _us_ for five days David.  Not even full five days, and I’m already losing my fucking mind over this.  When you kiss me, when you touch me, when you talk about things like tying me up, I want to let us be that.  I want to want you.  I want you to fuck me.  But I’m scared that it’s for all the wrong reasons.  And if it’s for the wrong reasons, eventually you’ll come to your senses and leave.”

“Listen to me.” 

He waited for Kurt to raise his head and look at him.  So that he knew he had his attention. 

“I know I told you that I only thought I loved you.  But I _know_ I do.  Now I know I do.  And I’m not going anywhere.  I _promise_ you that I’m not going anywhere.  And I’m not going to leave you for Sebastian.  I’m not going to leave you for anybody.  Because you are my first and only choice.  I want you so much that half the time I can’t concentrate on anything but my desire to get you naked.”

Kurt laughed and put his hand on David’s cheek.

“But I will wait as long as you need me to wait.  Nothing you could possibly say to me right now will make me walk away from you.  I need you, Fancy.  I need _you_.  I don’t just need your support.  I need your laughter.  I need your smiles.  I need your beautiful face in my life.  I need your hand to hold mine so my body can finally relax enough for me to sleep.  I need your intensely gorgeous eyes looking at me like I’m crazy when I do or say something stupid.  I need your voice when you get angry at me.  I need you to fight for us.  Because even though I’ll fight for you forever, I can’t do it alone.  I need to know that you trust me.  And that you trust yourself.”

“I want to.  I want to trust both of us.  You realize this is the stuff you do that makes me want you so much, right?”

“And I want you.  I don’t just want some abstract idea of you.  And right now, I’d like to pound Blaine’s face in for convincing you of that.  And then I want to just kill him for using you like he did.  Well, actually, I want to beat him to within an inch of his life because I know you’d never actually let me kill him.”

Kurt laughed and kissed him.  “Calm down, Yogi.  You called him Blaine instead of Bland, you know.” 

“Hush, I’m not done.  I want _Blaine_ to _suffer_ for having the chance to make love to you and squandering it for his own selfish motives.  It breaks my heart that he made you feel like you weren’t worth fucking, Kurt.  You are worth so much _more_ , and I don’t know how to get you to see it.”

Kurt squirmed on David’s lap until he straddled him.  And then he wrapped both arms around him.  David put his mouth near Kurt’s ear and whispered the rest of what he felt he needed to say.

“I’d also like to go back and punch Evans out for daring to not want you, and then I’d punch him again just to get it through his head that even if he did want you, he can’t have you.  And then I want to punch Finn for not wanting you because he’s straight, and then I want to fuck him up just to send the message that even if he was gay, I wouldn’t let him touch you.  And then if you want me to, I’ll punch Sebastian just for being him.  And…”

“Okay, I get it,” Kurt laughed into his ear.  “I get it.  You want me.  And you want to fuck up everybody who convinced me that _nobody_ would ever want me.”

“Basically.” David laughed quietly.

“I’m okay now.  That was very cathartic.  I feel like I could sleep for days.”

“Me too.  And I probably could sleep for days.”

“Are you hurting?  I keep forgetting that your ribs still hurt you.  See, this is the kind of boyfriend I am.  Are you sure you want me?  I can’t even let you heal from getting the shit beat out of you without me dumping all my issues on you, too.”

Kurt called himself David’s boyfriend.  Was he supposed to be pointing that out?  Or did Kurt even realize he’d said it?

“We dump our issues on each other from now on.  And mine are being dealt with.  I’m starting McKinley this week, and I’m out.  I’m not scared to be with you.  And once I’m fully recovered, I’m tempted to follow through on everything I just told you.”

“It’s going to be tough for you.  For us.  You’ll get slushied daily.  They’ll hate you for being with me.  I hate that for you.  I can’t fix that, no matter how much I want to.”

“I can live through it.  Although, I can be kind of a baby about getting slushie in my eyes.”

“Understandable.  It stings,” Kurt smiled.  “Wait.  You were slushied?  When?”

“While you were at Dalton.  The week that Bieste made all of the football team join Glee.   The puckheads got all of us with them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should have seen me whining.  You would have put me in my place over it, that’s for sure,” David smiled and stroked Kurt’s face.

“Probably.”

“I know we need to take things slowly, but are you okay with us being a couple at school?  I don’t want your friends to give you shit about us.  I don’t know what would be easier for you.” 

David knew some of them would.  It wouldn’t matter what David had been through.  They’d probably think he deserved it.

“I don’t give a fuck what they think about it.  Yes, I want to be with you.  I want you to be my boyfriend.”

“Even if I’m a rebound?” he teased.

Kurt leaned forward and kissed David deeply.  It was open-mouthed, and wet and utterly perfect.  And David couldn’t get enough of that mouth because it tasted like absolute heaven.  He felt Kurt’s tongue teasing him, slipping inside and then darting back out to lick David’s lower lip.  David moaned and dug his hands into Kurt’s hair, tilting his head back slightly so that he could kiss him harder.  David groaned a protest when Kurt pulled away from him slowly.

“Stop, David.  Give me a second,” Kurt begged when David dove in for another kiss.

“Okay,” David pulled his mouth away from Kurt very reluctantly.

“I think the fact that we _know_ there’s a rebound issue makes it easier to deal with.  I know I have issues with Blaine, but they aren’t unresolved feelings about why the relationship didn’t work.  I know why.  I’m just afraid that I’m shortchanging you.  But I’m also scared that if I don’t reach out and grab you now, while you want me, that you’ll figure out that I’m not what you want, and you’ll let me go.”

“How can you talk that coherently after kissing me like that?” David marveled.  He could barely form vague thoughts.

“I don’t know,” Kurt laughed.  “I think too much?”

“Yes, you do.”

Kurt frowned, “Now I think I’ve managed to convince myself that being the rebounder is being unfair to you.  It’s not fair to grab you and not let go if you’d be happier with someone else.  Do you see what I do to myself?”

“Stop.”  David kissed him again, softly.  “You think too much and then you force me to think when all I want to do is kiss you.”

“No sex.  For a while, okay?” 

“Okay.”

“We probably shouldn’t even be dating.  Rebound dating is bad.  I need to get over my issues.  If that’s even possible.  My issues started developing in sophomore year, and I’m not over them yet.”

“Okay.  What about kissing?”

“Rebound kissing is probably bad too.  What would your stupid fucking therapist say?” 

“She’d tell me to go for it, since she’s mine.  If she were your SFT, she’d probably say to not date me because of your rebound issues.”

Kurt pressed his forehead against David’s.  “See, SFT is right, isn’t she?”

“Probably,” David agreed.

“Are we listening to her?”

“Hell, no.”

“Should we both date someone else and force them to be our rebounds?  Then we can break their hearts when we get back together,” Kurt suggested.

“That’s diabolical.” 

“Well, actually, I’m the only one who needs to date someone since I’m the one with rebound issues.”

“Um.  Hell no.  I’m not going to stand there while somebody else touches _my_ Fancy.”

“I really love it when you say it like that.  Nobody’s ever been possessive of me.”

David leaned his head back and sighed. 

“Good.  I’m glad nobody’s been possessive of you before.  As far as I’m concerned, that means you’ve always been mine.”

 


	18. Chapter 18

Kurt was up and getting ready for school earlier than he actually had to be.  He had to finish his skin care routine, and he had to find something perfect to wear.  Something he’d look fabulous in that would make David trip over himself in the hallway. 

Kurt grinned at that, and he sat down to think about the rest of their conversation from the night before. 

He’d felt another thrill of pleasure at David’s words about Kurt always being his.  Kurt had nearly jumped him last night, because he’d never felt that shock of intense want with anyone before.  Not even Blaine.

“This.  This shit you do,” Kurt had grinned and gestured at him. “This is the fucking shit that makes me want to jump you, David Karofsky.  You can’t just go around saying stuff like that and expect me to control myself around you.” 

David had flashed that adorable fucking grin at him. 

“I’m not apologizing for that.  There’s no way in hell I’m apologizing for saying things that make you feel good.  I want you to feel good, and I love that it happens when you least expect it.  That it happens when I’m talking to you, or looking at you, or touching you.  I fucking love that, and I’m not _even_ fucking sorry.”

“You are a bad influence on me.  I’m saying fuck and shit all the time now.  And even when I’m not saying them, I’m thinking them.  You’ve corrupted me,” Kurt had smiled and kissed him.

“I can’t wait for a chance to really corrupt you, Fancy.  You have no idea.”

David had looked at him with so much longing that Kurt couldn’t doubt him anymore.

“You really _do_ want me,” Kurt had sighed into a kiss and then pulled back.  “I mean I know you say it.  But you really do, don’t you?”

“You’re just getting that memo?” David had laughed at Kurt finally getting the message.

“Apparently.  I’m kind of slow,” Kurt leaned his forehead against David’s. 

“You’re not slow.  Just insecure.  And you’ve never had anybody in your life to show you that you don’t have to be.”

“Damn.  Where did you come from?  I remember a David Karofsky who didn’t want me to take a peek at his junk,” Kurt had teased.  He’d wondered if it was too soon to bring up any stuff from the past.

“Oh, he wanted you to.  The problem was that he didn’t _want_ to want you to.  Now he does.  And this one wants to take a peek at yours too,” David had just grinned at him.

Kurt had laughed and gotten off his lap, settling back into the driver’s seat.  “You are going to be trouble for me.  I can just tell it now.”

“Probably,” David had replied before taking his hand again.

“And I have a feeling I’m not going to be sorry about it either.”

Kurt stood to go through his closet, and he decided that he could definitely not be sorry about having David in his life.  He felt good around him. 

He could be himself.  He didn’t have to worry about saying the right things, like he had with Blaine.  He didn’t have to worry about offending him if he didn’t agree with him.  He didn’t have to worry that he’d be disapproved of if he made a joke about something.  He didn’t have to walk on eggshells to make sure that David felt needed. 

David already knew he was needed. 

Thanks in part to the fabulous nervous breakdowns Kurt had been having.  Seriously, if he didn’t get control of his emotions, he was going to end up scaring David away, and he did not want that at all.

He understood that he had issues to get over.  You don’t go through two years of feeling second best with everyone and not have issues over that.  But the fact that David was willing to wait for him to get through it felt wonderful.  He couldn’t imagine anyone else in his life putting Kurt first like that. 

Kurt’s phone buzzed, and he grabbed it off the table.

**From Yogi:  Morning Fancy.  Want to ride with me to school?**

Well, he was going to start out the first day at McKinley with a bang.  None of this easing into it stuff, he guessed. 

**From Kurt:  Love to.  If you’re sure.**

**From Yogi:  I’m sure.  What time should I pick you up?”**

**From Kurt:  How about 7:00?  We can get some coffee if you want.**

**From Yogi:  Works for me.  Be there soon.**

Kurt finished getting dressed and went downstairs.  His father and Carole were in the kitchen, chatting over coffee. 

“David’s coming to pick me up for school,” Kurt sat next to Carole and smiled at her.

“How is he feeling?”

“Okay.  His ribs are still sore, but he’s really tough.  It’s a good thing, too.” 

Kurt didn’t even want to think about how badly he would have been hurt if David wasn’t as strong and big as he was. 

“Finn said there was a run-in at the Lima Bean yesterday.”

Leave it to Finn to make it sound like he wasn’t even involved in it.  “Did he tell you that he was the leader of the run-in?” Kurt laughed.

Carole shook her head as she sipped her coffee.   His dad frowned at him from the other side of the table, but he didn’t say anything.

“Blaine convinced him somehow that David had bullied me into going out with him.  Finn and Sam came to challenge him.”

Carole laughed, “I love my son.  But he’s so gullible.”

Burt smiled at her fondly, and then he turned to his own son. “I thought you weren’t dating.”

“I wasn’t going to date him at first.  My excuse was that I don’t really know him.  But I’ve been getting to know him.  And he’s a lot like the David I saw during prom week last year.  The David that walked me to my classes and was protective of me.  Seeing him now makes me realize that the David from last year, from that period of time, was the real David.  Not the jock who was scared to death of me.”

Burt nodded and sipped his coffee.  “Don’t start rushing into things though.  Look what happened with Hobbit.”

“How did you hear about that name?” Kurt grinned at him.

“Finn,” Burt shrugged.  “How’s David doing emotionally?”

“He’s stronger than he thinks he is.  And he’s very protective of me.  It makes me feel guilty, because I feel like I have to be there for him.  Then I get hit with something relating to Blaine, and I get furious and emotional, and he’s right there.  Supporting me.  It shouldn’t be like that though.  I’m supposed to be helping him.”

“But isn’t that what a relationship is all about, Kurt?” Carole asked quietly.  “Being there for each other?  You’ll be there for him if he gets hassled at school.  And you were there for him after he was beaten up.  You should let him be there for you if that’s what he wants to do.”

“If he’s coming here to get you, I’d like to talk to him.  And before you start in on me, I’m not going to threaten him,” Burt smiled and took a sip of coffee.

“Sure.  Like I believe that,” Kurt grinned.

Kurt’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket.

**From Yogi:  I’m here.  Is it safe to knock or should I stay in the truck?**

“He’s outside, and he wants to know if it’s safe to knock,” Kurt smiled up at his dad.

Kurt went to the front door, and gestured for David to get out of the truck.  He waved him towards the house.  Kurt leaned against the frame of the door and watched David walk slowly up the driveway. 

He looked utterly terrified. 

Kurt smiled at him, and held out his hand.  David grabbed it and stopped in front of him to look down.  Kurt pulled his face up and kissed him softly. 

“Come on.  I told you he’s okay with you right now,” Kurt whispered. 

“Kurt, he threw me up against a wall,” David rolled his eyes and stared at him.  “And tried to choke me to death.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.  He only _pinned_ you to the wall, and there was no intent to choke you to death.  You’re such a drama queen.”

“Being pinned to the wall by the father of the guy you’re crazy about is kind of traumatizing, you know.”

“You’ll survive.  And all that is in the past.  The last time you two met, he only yelled a little.”

“Yeah, that makes it all better.”

“Come on,” Kurt pulled him into the kitchen and steered him to the chair directly in front of his father.  “Face the music, Cub,” he whispered into his ear.

David looked up at Kurt’s father and held out his hand.  “Hello, Mr. Hummel.” 

Burt shook his hand and stared.  It was the patented stare that usually resulted in making teenagers confess to any wrongdoing they had done, were planning to do, or things they didn’t even know they had a subliminal desire to do.

David turned to Carole, “Mrs. Hummel.  Or is it Hudson-Hummel?”

“Either is fine, dear.  Officially, it’s Carole,” she smiled at him.  “Just like it was when you and Finn were friends when you were younger.”

David flushed and smiled at her.  “Okay, Carole.  Thanks.”

“David, my son has explained a few things to me.”

David turned to Kurt’s dad, and he looked as if he were holding his breath.  Kurt rubbed his back in sympathy, and he felt the muscles in David’s back start to relax some. 

“Yes, sir?”

“He told me the circumstances regarding that threat last year.  He told me how he and Blaine ambushed you on the stairs.  And while I’m not condoning the threat, I’m also not happy with his actions either.  He should have told me.  You _both_ should have told us then.  I assume you felt you weren’t ready.  But that was a significant part of the bullying.  And it should have been addressed.”

David nodded silently.  Kurt opened his mouth to tell his father that David had needed time, but the glaring look on Burt’s face had him shutting his mouth again. 

“Mr. Hummel, I have something I need to say.  Part of me _wanted_ Kurt to tell you.  I even asked him about it.  Do you remember during the meeting about Kurt coming back?  When he asked to be able to speak with me alone?”

David glanced at him, and Kurt nodded in support.  “Go on.”

David turned back to Burt.  “I asked him why he hadn’t told you.  It would have made his life _so_ much easier if he had.  He takes on this responsibility when people rely on him.  I think part of me wanted him to tell.  I was too scared to do it, and I wondered if it would be easier if he did.  But that wasn’t being fair to him.”

Kurt’s hand darted out, and he grabbed David’s, squeezing gently. 

“But he’s Kurt.  He didn’t.  And he wouldn’t.  Because he firmly believes that people need time and need to come out on their own.  I know this now.  But I didn’t know it _then_.  Part of me wanted him to do it, and the other part was terrified he would.  That’s why I threatened him.  I get now why he had to talk to someone.  What if I had been serious?  If he’d told nobody about it, and something happened to him…” David’s voice faltered. 

“David?” Kurt whispered. 

“It’s okay, Fancy,” David squeezed his hand.  “I get that he needed to tell someone, and I almost understand why it had to be Anderson.  He wasn’t at McKinley, so he was safer than someone like Finn or Puck, or someone else who knew me.   And I respect him for that.  I said what I said because I didn’t know that about him _then_.   He took all that on himself, and look where he ended up.  I’ve already apologized to him, and he’s accepted it.  But I also want to tell you both that I’m sorry.”

“David, it’s okay,” Kurt leaned over and put his chin on David’s shoulder. 

Burt leaned across the table and held out his hand to shake David’s again.  “That’s all I need to hear, son.  You’re welcome here anytime.” 

Carole smiled and came around the table.  “I’m going to hug you now, because I haven’t hugged you since you were twelve.”

David laughed, and he allowed Carole to wrap her arms around him.  “Thank you.  You know, Kurt always told me that if I trusted people I might find out that they’d be behind me.”

“That’s because I’m a genius, David,” Kurt smirked.

Burt and Carole laughed, and Burt continued, “Yeah, I’m going to leave that one alone.”

“Come on, Yogi, we need to go if we’re going to have time to stop for coffee.”

“There’s coffee here,” Burt gestured to the half full pot.

“Yes, but this is a date, Dad,” Kurt laughed and led David out of the room. 

“Before you go David, I’d like you to know that I may have forgiven you for the past.  But this is not the past.  And I _do_ know where Kurt hid my shotgun.  Just so you know.”  Burt smirked at both of them.

“Dad!” Kurt put his hands on his hips, and David paled slightly.

“I didn’t threaten.  I said I knew where it was.  There is a difference.”

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“I wonder if coming here before school is the secret to avoiding Sebastian.  He seems to live here,” Kurt grinned as he sipped the coffee he’d ordered a few minutes prior.

“Are we avoiding him on purpose?”

“No.  It’s just that every other time I’m here, he seems to be.”  It felt strange though.  As if something were missing from the coffee shop. 

“He’s probably going to avoid this place for a while until Blaine stops stalking him,” David smiled, as if Sebastian deserved it. 

And for Kurt to start thinking he didn’t was another sign of that impending apocalypse.

“It sounds weird to hear you use his name,” Kurt grinned.

He’d almost gotten used to hearing Bland, and he may just miss the Anderfuck part if David stopped using it too.

“I’m turning over a new leaf.  I don’t have to hate him anymore.  Because him being an asshole to you helped you find me,” David replied with a sweet smile.

“I think that you found me, actually.”

David smiled and took a sip of his coffee.  “I’m kind of nervous.” 

“I know.  I didn’t want to bring it up until you did.  But I can tell,” Kurt took his hand.  “But you survived my dad, so you can take anything that McKinley dishes out.”

“True,” David agreed.  “How could you tell I’m nervous?”

“Your knees are bobbing up and down, and you’re clenching your jaw a little.  Plus you’re holding that cup like it’s the life saver from a sinking ship.”  Kurt gestured to the hand that was lifting David’s coffee cup up to his mouth.

“Thanks for that visual.  I get back to McKinley in time to drown.”  And the clenching jaw was back.

“I won’t let you drown,” Kurt scooted his chair so he could lean closer.  “And if you go under, I’ll give you mouth to mouth.” 

David laughed, spitting out the coffee he had in his mouth.  “Thanks.  I’ll make sure I go under then.”

“I knew you’d say that.  Now keep that thought in your mind.  And the day will just fly by.”

“And we’ll get to make out.  Don’t leave that part out.”

“I won’t David,” Kurt laughed.  “Let’s go.”

They stood, ready to face the masses. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

They got to school a little early, so there were fewer people in the parking lot than usual.  That would help with David’s anxiety over this.  Kurt stood while he locked his truck, and then they turned together to face the school. 

“You ready, Cub?” Kurt adjusted the strap on his messenger bag and looked back at David.

“I think so.”  Kurt watched as David took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

“You can do this,” Kurt stepped closer and whispered.

“I can do this,” David repeated and looked at him. 

Kurt spun on his heels.  “If you can make it through second period, meet me in the boys’ bathroom on the second floor.  The one at the east end.”

David’s eyebrow lifted, “Because I’ll need to change after I’m slushied?”

“No, David. Well, maybe.  I don’t know how that will go.  But it’s so we can save you from _drowning_ ,” he smirked and turned back to walk into the school.

“Oh really?” David grabbed Kurt by the elbow and pulled him back gently. 

Kurt giggled and let David drag him up against the door of the truck.  “We can’t do it here, David.”

“You just want me distracted all day, don’t you?” David looked at him accusingly.

“Will thinking about me do that?”

“Yes,” David shrugged and his mouth curved into a sweet smile. 

“Then yes.  That’s what I want.  I don’t want you obsessing about it all day.  I’d rather you have a goal.   Goal One is to make it through second period.”

“Then I get you as a reward?” David slid his hand down Kurt’s arm, making Kurt shiver just a little.

Kurt snorted because that sounded like a reward for Kurt actually, now that he thought about it. 

“The reward for Goal One is a very good make-out session in the bathroom.  We’ll decide on Goal Two then.”

Hell, he was looking forward to the reward.  And he had just homeroom and two class periods to figure out what reward number two would be. 

“Damn, Kurt.  You might distract me from the bullshit today, but I don’t think I’ll survive your rewards,” David looked at him and groaned. 

“Well, we won’t find out if we don’t go inside, now will we?”

David pocketed his keys and followed Kurt towards the main entrance to the school.  David looked around nervously, and Kurt followed his gaze.  Most of the students in the vicinity seemed younger, and they didn’t seem to recognize David. 

Kurt offered him an encouraging smile and nodded in the direction of the doors.  David nodded back and climbed the steps slowly. 

David stepped through the doors and turned back to smile at Kurt. 

“Dave?  What the _fuck_ are you doing _here_?!” a familiar shout echoed through the hallway.

They turned together, and Kurt’s stomach twisted when he found that the voice belonged to Azimio Adams.


	19. Chapter 19

David watched Az approach, and he wondered how badly this was going to end up for them.  Az stopped right in front of David, but then Fancy stepped in between them.

He looked ready to go all avenging angel on Azimio.  David smirked, and put his hand on Kurt’s elbow, to pull him back out of the way, but Kurt shook him off.

“You say anything to hurt him, and you deal with me Adams,” Kurt warned, one finger pointing at Az’s face.  David tried to pull him away again.  “Don’t David, I can handle it.”

David snorted, picturing his Fancy trying to fight off Azimio, who outweighed him by over a hundred pounds.  Possibly a lot more since Fancy was pretty damn tiny.

Az looked down at Kurt in disbelief, and then looked up and glared at David.  “Seriously, Dave?”

“Yes, seriously,” Kurt answered for him.  “Do not mess with him Adams.  He’s been through enough.”  Kurt put his hands on his hips and stood his ground. 

“Fancy,” David interrupted.  He was so fucking cute when he defended him. 

“Just a second, David.”  He smiled at him but then he turned back to Az.  “You have something you need to say Adams?  Get it over with.  We’ve heard it all.  And believe me, nothing you can say will be any different.”

David looked up at Az, who looked like he was pleading with David to control Kurt. 

“Fancy,” David repeated, and he sneaked his arm around Kurt’s waist and pulled him backwards, his back flush up against David’s chest.  He murmured into Kurt’s ear, “Baby, I think he wants to talk to me alone.  I’ll be fine.”

Kurt leaned back against him and sighed.  “Okay.  I’ll leave you two alone.  But you’d _better_ be fine.”  Kurt turned on Az.  “He’d _better_ be fine when I see him again.  You got that Neanderthal?” 

Az snorted, “And what is your tiny ass going to do about it if he’s not?”

“Hopefully, he’ll kiss it and make it all better for me, right Fancy?” David dipped his head and kissed Kurt on the cheek.  “I’ll be fine, Fancy.  Don’t worry.”

David grinned at the look of shock on Az’s face.

Kurt turned to David and smiled.  “Second period.  Remember that.” 

“I got it, Fancy.  Go ahead.” 

David watched Kurt walk proudly down the hallway, and he turned to Az. 

“What did you want?” David was still hurt by Az’s decision, but he had definitely missed his best friend.

“Is he fucking serious?   Coming at me like that?”  Az was staring at Kurt walking away.

“Actually, yes.  He’s fucking serious when it comes to protecting the people he cares about,” David smiled.

“But it’s you.  You tortured him.  All the fucking time.  And he’s after me?” Az sounded dumbfounded.

“He forgave me.  Because he knew what was going on with me.  What do you want?” David crossed his arms in front of him. 

“I wanted to talk.”

“So talk.”

“Dude, are you sure about this?”  Az gestured his head down the hallway, in the direction Kurt had disappeared. 

“Yes, I’m sure.  Why do you care?”

“I fucking care because you fucking pissed me off.  Why didn’t you ever tell me about this shit?”  Az shouted suddenly.

“Because I couldn’t.  I was afraid you’d do exactly what you did do.  What your parents did,” David reminded coldly.

“I don’t fucking care if you’re gay.  I fucking care that you didn’t tell me that you’re fucking gay.  All that time, we picked on him, calling him a homo and a fag, and the whole time… _You_ led that fucking charge against Hummel.  I never targeted Hummel by myself and you fucking know that.  I went along with it because you did.  So I’m sorry if it was a fucking shock to find out!”

So that’s why Az had been pissed at him?  This whole time? 

“I’m sorry, man.  I didn’t realize.  What about your parents?”

“They still don’t want to see you, but that’s their shit.  I have a cousin who’s gay, and he got kicked out for it.  My parents still don’t talk to him because they think he deserves it.  So I wouldn’t be coming over a lot if I were you.”

He didn’t point out that he hadn’t come over at all since the Adams family had found out about him.  They found out David was gay by overhearing the argument between David and Az.  Azimio had frozen up when his parents had asked David to leave.  And then he hadn’t heard from him. 

That had happened a few days before Valentine’s Day.   David had told Az of his plans that week, but he hadn’t mentioned Kurt’s name. 

He had, subtly, dropped the information that his gifts weren’t for a girl.  And he’d sat back to see how Az would react.  David mistakenly thought it would come off better than just admitting to being gay. 

And he’d been wrong.

“Fine, I can deal with that.  You can come over to my house, unless they won’t let you.”

“Fuck them letting me.  I’m eighteen.  I can hang out with who I want to hang out with.  I tried to come see you.  But your dad.”

“I asked him to keep you out because I thought you hated me.  I didn’t want any surprises.”

Az nodded gravely. “I can see that.  Why did you transfer?”

“Long story dude.  Involves Fancy.”

“Well, we can talk about it some other time, I guess.”

“So you’re cool.”

“Well, I’m cool with you.  But Hummel?  That’s who all that Valentine shit was for?  Seriously?” Az grinned.

David smiled at him.  “It’s always been Kurt dude.  For a long fucking time.”

“Even through all the shit you did to him?”

“It was part of the reason for all the shit I did to him.”

“I thought he was dating that little pansy no-sock wearing freak,” Az replied.

David snorted.  “Damn.  I gotta tell him that one.  And he’s not anymore.  He’s with me now.”

“I can see that.  And he thinks he’s a fucking guard dog or something.  Is he gonna be doing that shit a lot?  I don’t mind stepping in and helping you out if the puckheads come after you, but if he’s gonna be challenging everybody and shit, I’m not sure I can take everybody on.  He’s gonna get his ass kicked eventually.”  Az’s smile betrayed his commitment to David. 

And David knew he’d be there no matter how many people Fancy pissed off.

“I’ll talk to him.  Calm him down later.”

“You do that,” Az agreed.  The he cuffed David on the shoulder and walked with him to class.  “I got something to tell you that you’re gonna love.”

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

One slushie. 

That’s all he’d gotten all morning.  It had come from one player on the hockey team, and he’d been alone.  Right after first period.

It had got him right in the face, too.  Fucker.  David hadn’t texted Fancy about it.  He’d end up whining like a baby again, and he sure didn’t want Kurt to see that. 

He just got a clean shirt out of his backpack and changed.  And the shit still stung just as it had the time he’d been slushied before. 

The students that had been standing around had gasped.  But they hadn’t said anything to him.  A lot of people looked scared of him.   He had to laugh at that.  If they knew how fucking scared he’d been all morning, they’d be laughing at him.

After second period, David had bolted to the bathroom Kurt had specified.  He walked in and found Fancy leaning against a sink, arms crossed, staring at the door. 

“Come here,” Kurt jerked his head in invitation, and David walked to him hypnotized. 

Kurt could probably tell him, “ _Come here, baby, I have some poison you need to drink_ ,” and David would gladly follow him to his doom. 

It’s just how it was with Fancy.  He was David’s weakness.

David wrapped his arms around Kurt, and he sighed.  Kurt roped his arms around David’s neck, and he tilted his head up to kiss him.  

“How did it go with Azimio?”

“Good.  Turns out that he was just shocked when I told him.  But his parents overheard, and they still don’t like it.  He tried to come see me but my dad wouldn’t let him in because I’d asked him not to,” David shrugged at him. 

It wasn’t finished.  Az would have to prove he was serious before David would fully let him back in his life, but he was willing to give him a chance.  He’d known the boy since they were five years old.

“So he didn’t do anything?  Good,” Kurt leaned his head onto David’s shoulder.  “I worried about you all morning.”

Fancy wrapped his hands around David’s biceps, squeezing them gently, and then he pulled David closer.   

“I was fine, Fancy.  I did get slushied, but just once.  It was a puckhead but he was by himself.  But the craziest thing is that nobody seems to even want to talk to me.  I know why though.”

“Why?” Fancy leaned back and stared up at him. 

“Az started a rumor that it took fifteen members of the team to kick my ass, and he made some comments that it meant I could handle myself if anybody here got any bright ideas,” David laughed.

“Ah.  I heard the twelve player version of that.  From Finn.”

“I wonder how many versions are going around,” David said.  “That explains why nobody has been trying to fight me.  I’m glad because I’m not even fully recovered from the first fight.”

“That and the fact that your muscles would intimidate them.  I mean, seriously David.  Look at them.” 

Kurt ran his hands up and down David’s arms, from shoulder to wrist, and he sighed.  David shuddered in response, and he dipped his head down to kiss Kurt softly.

“You like?” David murmured against his mouth.

“I love,” Kurt replied quietly, his lips not leaving David’s.  His mouth never left David’s but his hands slid down David’s arms again.  “I love your arms, David.”

David groaned and lifted Kurt slightly, setting him onto the edge of the sink he’d been leaning against.  “You do huh?”

“Didn’t that hurt you?” Kurt murmured against his lips.

“Nope,” David buried his hands in Kurt’s hair and kissed him again, opening his mouth to explore the inside of Kurt’s.  He pulled back a slightly, “not at all.”

Kurt wrapped his legs around David’s waist, and a shock of pure need went through David.  He’d imagined how it would feel to have Fancy do that to him, but his imagination had nothing on real life. 

“I’m about to say something really twisted, David.  Something that probably means I need some counseling of some kind,” Kurt smirked against his mouth.

David laughed and pulled back, “This should be good, Fancy.”

“You’re so much stronger than me, and so much bigger.  And I just think it’s kind of hot that it you were able to fight off six members of the football team.  If it had been me, one of them could have taken me down,” Kurt muttered shyly.  “So essentially I’m saying it’s hot it took six guys to beat you up.  That sounds bad, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t talk like that about someone hurting you,” David stared at him.  “I can’t even think about someone doing that to you.  Not after everything…”

“Stop that now.  I didn’t say that to make you start thinking about the past.  It’s just that you hold me and I realize how strong you are.  And it’s really fucking hot how strong you are,” Kurt stroked his arms again.

“It _is_ kind of twisted that you think of that.  Luckily I’m totally okay with kinks.  And I feel like you’re petting me when you do that,” He nodded his head towards Kurt’s wandering hands.

Kurt smirked and petted David’s arms again, “Goooood David,” he praised. 

“Strooooong David,” and he stroked David’s arms again. 

David started snickering, because the look on Kurt’s face was hilarious.  He was feigning a complete seriousness about petting him and praising him. 

Kurt grinned up at him, and muttered, “Preeeetty David,” and did it again. 

“You’re such a shit,” David laughed and kissed him.

“I know,” Kurt grinned back.  “But seriously, these arms.  Yum.”

“Okay, you have an arms kink and apparently I have a kink for being petted.  What a pair we make.  You’ll be petting my arms all the time, and moaning in ecstasy, and I’ll be flexing and encouraging your deviant behavior, all the while getting off when you say ‘ _Preeeeety David_.’”

Kurt burst out laughing and hugged him.  “Oh my god.  How crazy are we?”

“Very crazy.  I love hearing you laugh,” David smiled.

“I don’t do it often enough, I don’t think.  But I’ve taken it up recently.  It feels good.”  Kurt cupped David’s face in his hands and kissed him gently. 

“Can we just stay here the rest of the day?” David sighed against his mouth.

“Well, we could.  But you’ll get hungry eventually.”

“What’s my next goal for today?”

“I think if you can make it through fourth period, we should come back in here and kiss for at least ten minutes straight.”

“Damn, Fancy.  I might not be able to control myself if we do that.”

He could see himself turning a ten minute kiss into an intense session of devouring of Kurt’s body on the bathroom floor.  Easily.  In fact, he’d be very supportive of that idea.

Fancy’s eyebrow arched, “Are you insinuating that you don’t like my choice of reward?”

David laughed, “Um. Hell no.  I love your rewards.  But I might turn your reward into something we shouldn’t be doing in the school bathroom.”

Kurt flushed a gorgeous pink, and David kissed the skin under his jawline. 

Fancy was so damn beautiful that it made his chest ache to stare at him.  David couldn’t imagine whatever had possessed him to decide that David was worth being with, but David was going to grab onto him for dear life. 

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” David whispered against Kurt’s throat. 

“I am?” Fancy whispered.

“Fuck yes.  So beautiful.  I’m sure there’s another word that describes you that is better than beautiful, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with it.”

Kurt smiled at him, “Thank you.” 

Kurt pulled David’s face towards him, and he starting kissing him.  Fancy’s mouth was delicious, David thought to himself as he let Kurt kiss him however he wanted to.  Kurt bit his lip gently, and it elicited a moan from Fancy that drove David crazy. 

David dove into another kiss, and he wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him as close as he could manage. 

David pulled back and looked at Kurt. 

Kurt slipped his hand back up to David’s face, “You are so gorgeous, David.  So sexy.”

“No, I’m not,” David looked down, embarrassed.

“Look at me, Yogi,” Kurt demanded, and he pulled David’s face up to him.  “I never meant any of those things I said last year.  I said those to get back at you.  You’re not chubby.  You won’t be bald by the time you’re thirty, and I happen to think you are sexy, and strong, and handsome, and pretty damn hot too.  So stop arguing with me.”

“I’m none of those things, Kurt,” David argued.

“Stop.  I’m allowed to think them regardless of your opinion.  So shut up and kiss me,” Kurt glared at him.

David went back to kissing him, because he wasn’t going to not do that when Kurt demanded it from him.  He licked his lips and concentrated on making Kurt moan again. 

Kurt grinned against his mouth.  “I have the perfect one for you.”

“Perfect what?”

“Compliment,” Kurt muttered into another kiss.

“What?”

“Preeeeeettty David,” and Kurt stroked his cheek wickedly, like he’d petted David’s arms earlier.

David bent his head and shook it in disbelief, laughter threatening to spill out of him.  He stared back up and Kurt and smiled.  “Okay, I’ll let you have that one.  But every time you call me that, you have to say it the exact same way.”

Kurt smirked, “I’ll make sure to do it in front of Azimio.”

“Oh god, I’d pay good money to see that.  His face would be priceless,” David grinned.

David dipped his head back down for another kiss just as the door opened. 

And Blaine walked in. 

“Kurt, what the hell are you doing in _our_ bathroom?  With _him_?”


	20. Chapter 20

Kurt sighed against David. 

He had been having such a good day so far, and now Blaine had to come and ruin it.  Kurt pushed David back slightly so he could get down off the sink.

“Blaine, this was never ‘ _our_ ’ bathroom and you know it.  Have you forgotten how many times someone walked in on Britt and Satan in here?  You just said that to make David mad.”

Kurt turned to face Blaine, and David stepped slightly between them.  Kurt smiled at him but put his hand on David’s arm, “It’s fine.”

Blaine looked outraged.  But Blaine always seemed to look that way recently.  He had such a superiority complex about his own charisma, that he seriously could not handle someone leaving him.

Blaine glared at David, “This is where _we_ made out, Kurt.”

“Once.  Just once Blaine.  And don’t think I’ve forgotten that there were times we were supposed to meet in here and you were off in some corner of this school sexting Sebastian.” Kurt grabbed his bag and wrapped his hand around David’s upper arm.

Seriously, David’s arms were amazing.  Kurt could just molest his arms all day and be happy.  He got distracted by the black button down short-sleeved shirt that currently framed those delicious muscles. 

 _Focus_ , Kurt.

“What are you talking about?  I never sexted Sebastian,” Blaine lied. 

And not only was it a lie, it wasn’t even done well.  He was fidgeting and not looking Kurt in the eye.  Even if Kurt hadn’t known about the sexts, he would _know_ that Blaine was lying. 

“Don’t even try, Blaine.  I saw them.  Sebastian let me read them on his phone,” Kurt replied coldly.

“What?” Blaine choked out.

“I saw them.  All of them.  And most of them were initiated by you.  So you can lie about them all you want, but I know the truth.  Come on David,” Kurt pulled him towards the door.

“Kurt! Wait!” Blaine’s voice was strangled.

Kurt took a deep breath and smiled at David.  “Baby, do you trust me?”

David’s eyebrow lifted at Kurt’s tone, but he nodded.  “Of course I do, Fancy.”

“Then could you leave me and Blaine alone?  I just need some closure,” Kurt needed to tell Blaine off, and he really didn’t want David to have to listen to all of it again.  He’d listened to enough of Kurt’s rants.  “I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.  I don’t like it.  But I’ll let you have this,” David turned to Blaine.  “If he comes out of here upset, you will deal with me you little asshole.”

“Just go, Karofsky,” Blaine rolled his eyes.

Kurt watched as David left, very obviously unwilling to leave Kurt there with Blaine.  “Goal Two,” Kurt shouted a reminder as the door shut behind him.

“I cannot believe you are with him, Kurt,” Blaine started in immediately.  “Do you have a death wish or something?”

“Fuck you, Blaine.  I’m in here with you because you need to hear the reasons why I broke up with you.  Because you have a sense of superiority over people that you need to get the fuck over,” Kurt leaned up against the wall next to the door and looked back at him.

“He threatened to kill you, remember?” Blaine sneered.

“Yes, I remember it well.  I also remember you and I nearly outing him in the stairway.  _He was scared_ , you idiot.  We scared the shit out of him.  Yes, the threat was stupid, but so were we.  He’s different now.”

“I doubt that.”

“Of course you do.  Because you don’t think about anybody but yourself, so of course you can’t see if someone has changed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You remember all those things I told you Valentine’s night?  The explanations I gave you?  The Sebastian example?  Those are the things I’m talking about, Blaine.” 

He was eerily calm.  That might be a bad sign.  Surely being this calm meant that he’d have no remorse over hiding Blaine’s dead body, right?  David would help too, he was certain of it.

“Why Kurt?  I want you to just tell me why?  What did I do?”

“First of all, how can you stand there knowing that you cheated on me and be surprised that I broke up with you?”

“But you never said anything about cheating that night,” Blaine argued.

“Really?  You think that my not knowing about it until later means it was okay?”

Blaine flushed, “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what?”

“I’m just saying that you didn’t know that _then_ , so that wasn’t why you broke up with me.  So I want to know why.”

“There wasn’t just one reason.  It was a cumulative effort on your part.  Each thing you did compounded on the one before, and I’d just had enough.”  It was as honest as he could make it.

“What things did I do?”

“I’m going to tell you these things, because you need to hear them.  Although I’m fairly certain you won’t ever learn from them.  The first issue is your behavior at Dalton the entire time I was there.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t like me, but you liked that I gave you attention.  Because you love attention, Blaine.  It’s part of your personality, and you surround yourself with people who adore you.  The Warblers worshipped you.  Nobody ever had a fair shot in that group.  You and the council paid lip service to the idea of solo auditions, but you never intended anyone else to get them.  The week I auditioned, do you even remember how many times Nick and Jeff had auditioned?”

Blaine opened his mouth to answer, but Kurt held up his hand. 

“Don’t bother.  You don’t remember and you don’t care.  They supposedly made it to the second _“round”_ of auditions, but they never got a solo.  Because you never intended them to get one.  You had your choices picked out ahead of time.  So anyone else auditioning was a waste of fucking time.  But when I _didn’t_ make it to the second round, you blamed it on the fact that I didn’t try hard enough to fit in.  I was too flashy for The Warblers.  I cared too much about standing out.  But the truth was that you had the solos picked out for competition from the very beginning.  It was Blaine and the Pips and it was going to stay Blaine and the Pips.”

“That’s not true,” Blaine argued, crossing his arms and glaring.

“Really?  Then can you explain to me why _you_ didn’t have to audition and yet you somehow _won_ the solos?  The solos were for competition, but only Nick, Jeff, and I had to audition.  You didn’t sing a damn thing.  Yet every song we did was a solo for you.  So how is that not a case of Blaine and the Pips?”

Blaine didn’t respond, so Kurt continued.

“There was also the fact that you practically isolated me there.  Every time anyone invited me to something, it was because you were going.  And if I were to get invited to something you weren’t going to, you were right there, inviting yourself.  You knew I liked you.  And you wanted my focus to stay on you.  But yet, you didn’t like me enough to date me.”

“That’s not true, Kurt.  Obviously, that’s not true, since we were together for months.”

“I mean at first.  You flirted with me.  You sang songs to me and with me.  You went out of your way to monopolize my free time, and I thought it was because you liked me.  But you had friend-zoned me without treating me like you’d friend-zoned me.  And yet, you were surprised when I told you I thought you were going to sing to me last Valentine’s.”

“Well, yeah.  I didn’t see that coming.”

“You should have.  And then after I told you I liked you, I was patient.  I was willing to wait for you, but you said we were only friends.  Then the next thing I know, you’re playing tonsil hockey with a girl.  I wasn’t attractive enough to you for you to kiss _me_ , despite you knowing how I felt about you.  But Rachel was.  That fucking hurt, Blaine.  So yes, I got angry when you spouted that you were unsure about your sexuality.  Because whether you were gay or bisexual, you still cared more about dating Rachel than you did me.  You turned me down flat, but you went on a date with her after one drunken kiss.  And I was just supposed to be okay with that?”

“I didn’t think about it like that, I guess.” Blaine fidgeted.  “But I can’t help that I was confused about it.”

“You never do think about things like that.  That’s the problem.  Maybe you couldn’t help being confused, but you _could_ help being an asshole about it.  Not only did you kiss her, you went on a fucking date with her.  You were willing to date a girl you barely knew, but _I_ wasn’t good enough.”

“That’s not how it was, Kurt,” Blaine’s voice cracked. 

“Then what was it?  Do you have an explanation for that behavior that miraculously makes it not your fault?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you by going out with you if I didn’t feel that way about you.”

“But it was okay to hurt me by making me feel like I wasn’t good enough for you?” Kurt challenged.  “You’ve been stringing me along since we met, just waiting for someone better to come along.”

“No, I wasn’t!”

“Really?  You found him already.  His name is Sebastian, remember?” Kurt replied.

Blaine blushed at that, but he didn’t deny it.

“Regardless of when I found out, you cheated on me with him.  You wanted him like you never wanted me.  That’s quite obvious.”

Blaine had tears in his eyes.

“No, you don’t get to play the martyr here.  You don’t get sympathy for making me feel like I was worthless and no longer being oblivious about doing it.” Kurt replied dryly.

“Kurt, I don’t know why I cheated.  I loved you.”

Blaine’s voice was full of contempt, but Kurt couldn’t tell if it was contempt for Sebastian or for himself.

“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have cheated on me.  It really _is_ that simple, Blaine.  You didn’t love me.  You loved the attention I gave you.  But that wasn’t enough for you.  So you went to him.”

Blaine was silent and no longer teary-eyed.  He’d turned those waterworks off quickly.

“There’s one more thing Blaine.  It’s actually the most critical mistake in our relationship.”

“When we had sex?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying you didn’t want to?”

“In a way, yes.  I wasn’t ready.  I slept with you out of a crazy need to keep you.  No matter how bad you made me feel about myself, you were _my_ boyfriend.  I thought if I finally gave in, you’d stop flirting with Sebastian.  But all it did was show you what you didn’t want.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why is it that you could never touch me before that night you got drunk?  You had to get drunk to finally decide that you wanted to fuck me.  Do you have any idea how that made me feel?  I had to fight you off and scream at you.  Who does that to someone they love?”

“I was drunk!”

“That’s not an excuse!”

“Then why did you have sex with me?”

“To keep you from cheating on me!  And look how well that went!  It was a stupid decision on my part.  But I was so tired of always feeling second best.  You strung me along until Sebastian came along.  And you aren’t the first guy in my life who chose someone else over me.  The difference is that they weren’t dating me.  I didn’t trust them.  I trusted you, and you stomped all over that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The worst part in all of it is something that you don’t even realize that I know about.”

Blaine looked up at him with confusion on his face.

“Blaine, I know about the pact you made with Rachel.  I know that you decided to lose your virginity so that you’d be a more believable Tony in West Side Story.  Who does that Blaine?  Was the idea of sex with me so abhorrent that you had to have another incentive?  Another reason to justify it?”

Blaine paled.  “How did you know about that?”

“Rachel.  At least she was honest with Finn about it.  And she was embarrassed by it.”

Blaine fidgeted, but he didn’t comment.

“You weren’t, though.  You never planned on telling me.  So was it worth it?  After opening night, was it worth fucking me?  Did it make your Tony more special to have finally gotten laid?”

“Kurt, I didn’t think...”

“No, you didn’t think.  And the worst part is that you don’t even look like you’re sorry for it.  You haven’t said you’re sorry.  You apologized for trying to force yourself on me, but it hasn’t occurred to you that you should apologize for the entire disappointing experience.”

“For having sex with you?  I should apologize for that?” Blaine shouted with outrage.

“Yes, because it was under false pretenses.  You didn’t want me.  You wanted what I could do for you.  I was your only quick solution to your little virginity problem.”

“That’s not true,” Blaine interrupted.

“Which part isn’t true?  The part about how I was a solution to your problem?  Or the part where I was the _only_ solution to your problem?”

Blaine looked shell-shocked, so Kurt continued.

“Remember that conversation we had in your room about going further?  _You_ were prepared to continue waiting, even though _I_ wanted to talk about going south of the equator.  But then you meet Sebastian, and ‘ _BAM_ ’ you’re thinking about sex.  About being adventurous.  But I have a feeling that you weren’t thinking about being adventurous with me.”

Blaine opened his mouth to answer, but Kurt held up his hand. 

“Which leads me to wonder when you figured out that Sebastian would have fucked you if that was all you needed to become a better Tony.” 

Blaine flushed again.  And that’s all he needed to know.

“You came back from that visit with The Warblers a different person.  So my question is did you want _him_ first?  Was he your first choice to lose your virginity to?  Did you settle for me because you need a quick fuck before the show?”

“I don’t know,” Blaine whispered.  “I’m confused now.”

“Whether you answered ‘ _yes’_ or ‘ _I don’t know_ ’ to those questions, either one still would have been the wrong answer.  Because if you had loved me like you said you did, none of those things would have happened.  You would have wanted to have sex with me just for the sheer pleasure of having sex with me.  Not because you needed to lose your virginity for a high school play.  If you had loved me like you said you did, you wouldn’t have decided that you wanted Sebastian more.  You wouldn’t have made me feel like someone you settled for.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever.  I’m done with this.  I’m not going to participate in these discussions anymore because you have your answer now.  But you are going to stop coming after David.  He doesn’t deserve your attitude and your disdain.  You did more to hurt me than he ever did because I was supposed to be able to trust you.  And you convincing me that I was only a symbol of homosexuality to him is why I have trouble believing that he really wants me.”

“Karofsky…”

“Don’t finish that because I don’t want to hear it.  He _wants_ me.  And he doesn’t make me feel like I’m second best to someone else.  I’m not a means to an end for him.  He makes me feel like I’m special because of _who I am_ , not because of what I can do for him.  And I like _him_.  I want _him_.  I’m not sure if I love him yet, but he’s so incredibly _worth_ loving that you can’t even imagine it.  And because of all the shit I went through with you, I’m nearly convinced that I’m not good enough for him.”

“Kurt, were you two together before we broke up?” Blaine asked hesitantly.

“Not that it’s any of your business given what you’ve done, but no.”

“When did this start?”

“The night I broke up with you.”

“How though?  It came out of nowhere,” Blaine looked confused.

Kurt thought a few minutes about whether or not to tell Blaine about David’s Valentine’s gifts.  But he didn’t want to.  He didn’t want to share that side of David with Blaine.

“It wasn’t out of nowhere for him.  I told you.  _He wants me_.  More than anybody ever has.  And he finally got the courage to tell me how he felt.”

And his courage had finally shaken Kurt out of his stupor.  David’s courage had convinced Kurt that settling for Blaine was ridiculous.  That settling for anyone that made him feel unwanted was crazy.

Kurt had finally realized Valentine’s night that he’d been waiting for someone to feel that way about him.  Waiting for someone to want Kurt so much that he’d do anything to tell him, even if telling Kurt had meant risking heartbreak.  Waiting to find someone who cared more about Kurt than he cared about himself and his own successes.  Waiting for someone who was not Blaine Anderson.

Kurt laughed out loud when a flash of a memory came to him. 

David’s words from junior year.  From the day David had apologized to him. 

“ _Remember.  Wait for me, here, alright?”_

“But how do you go from breaking up with me to being in a relationship with him so fast?” Blaine interrupted his thoughts.

Kurt smiled at the memory of David’s words and then he looked at Blaine. 

“I think… I think that all this time… I’ve just been waiting for David.”


	21. Chapter 21

David was waiting for Kurt in the bathroom after fourth period.  He’d gotten a text from Kurt that the conversation with Blaine hadn’t turned ugly, but that’s all he knew about it.  Kurt had missed all of third period, and they didn’t have the same class for fourth.  So he didn’t have any details. 

Kurt shot through the bathroom door, and it almost echoed off the wall.  David grinned at the dramatic entrance, and then he watched Kurt stalk over to him.

Kurt grinned and pushed David up against the wall gently, “Say it.”

“Don’t push me, Hummel,” David smirked.

“Don’t push me, Karofsky,” Kurt flattened his hands over David’s chest and then pulled him into a kiss. 

David let Kurt control the kiss.  He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to the idea that Kurt Hummel was with him.  Kissing him.  Touching him.  Turning him on.  Voluntarily.  The feeling was surreal and David never wanted it to go away.

David cupped Kurt’s face with his hands, and he kissed him back softly.  He wanted Kurt so much he couldn’t even begin to describe it to him.  Kurt was beautiful, and so damn funny, and he could be such a bitch when he was angry, but he was the person David wanted in his life.

Because Kurt was someone who would do anything for the people he loved, the people he needed to protect.  And David was lucky to be counted among those people.

“David,” Kurt moaned against his mouth. 

That fucking gorgeous mouth was going to be the death of him.  David dove back into Kurt’s mouth and explored it with his tongue, teasing Kurt’s lips.  He tilted his head even further, as if the angle would allow him to get more of Kurt’s mouth on his own.

David turned around, and he pressed Kurt up against the wall where he’d been standing just minutes before.  Kurt grunted but he didn’t break contact.  David felt Kurt’s hands exploring again, rubbing up and down David’s biceps and forearms. 

His kink was coming out again.  David grinned against Kurt’s mouth but didn’t say a word.  David just kept kissing.  If he was going to get ten minutes with Kurt Hummel’s mouth, he was going to make the most of it. 

When Kurt finally pulled away to breathe, David leaned to the side with a sigh. 

“So how did it go with Blaine?”

“We just finished trying to suck out each other’s tonsils and the first words from your mouth are about my ex?” Kurt smirked and propped his hand on that sexy hip.

David felt himself flush a little, “Sorry.”

“It went fine.  I told him all the stuff you knew about.  About how he made me feel about myself.  And I mentioned things I hadn’t told you, stuff from before he and I dated.  He was shocked.  Almost like he couldn’t believe that I would interpret his behavior that way.  And for most of it, he did not apologize.”

David frowned at that. 

“It’s fine,” Kurt cupped David’s face with his hand.  “It was good closure for me.  He needed to see how much of an asshole he was to me.  He probably won’t learn from his mistakes, but at least I won’t be suffering from that anymore.”

David pulled him closer and hugged him.  “I wish I’d listened to you.  If I’d been braver, if I’d been stronger….”

“Stop.  We needed to go through this to get together.  Well, I mean, I could have done without having Blaine in my life, but we needed to be apart.  If we’d gotten together earlier, I would have badgered you to come out all the time, and you would have been miserable.”

“You think so?” David whispered and slid his hand around Kurt’s waist.

“I’m not exactly patient, David.  When have I ever kept my mouth shut about stuff like that?”

David snorted, “True.  You can be a bitch about that.”

“I know.  I own it though.  That makes the difference.  I’m bossy, and I’m judgmental, but I just want you to be happy.  I knew you wouldn’t be happy spending the rest of your life in the closet.” 

Kurt leaned up against the wall, his temple touching the tiles, and David closed his eyes when he felt pale fingers stroking his face reverently.

Santana’s words about being a late-in-life gay, married with kids, and cheating on his wife with men, came to mind.  Months ago, that thought scared him.  And I made him miserable because as she said those words to him, they had felt prophetic for him.  He could very easily see himself becoming that one day.  If things hadn’t changed for him.

“You know, Santana said that I would be the guy who stayed in the closet all my life, got married and had kids, and then started cheating,” David whispered as he rested his head on the wall, eyes level with Kurt’s.

“But you don’t want that,” Kurt stated.  He didn’t ask it, and he didn’t sound like he was trying to tell David how he felt.

“No. I don’t.”

“And now it won’t be that way,” Kurt whispered.

“I used to think she was right.  I would lie in bed at night and that scenario was the only one I could imagine for myself ten years from now.  And even the thought made me miserable.  I couldn’t even picture a situation where I was out and with someone… someone like you.”

“David, you can be anything you want.  One day, ten years from now, you’ll be in a big office, and your partner will be bringing your son to visit you, and you’ll be taking him to his first football game, and you’ll be happy.  I promise.  Even if we aren’t together ten years from now, you can and will be happy.” Kurt leaned in and kissed him.

“I want that.  I want to be a sports agent someday, and I’d like to be married.  And I think I would like to have kids, but at this moment in time, I don’t want any of that if it’s without you,” David admitted and looked down at his feet.

It was the truth, but he wasn’t sure that he should be admitting it to Fancy. 

“David,” Kurt whispered.  “I want that for you, and I want that for me.  But whether or not it’s me who’s with you ten years from now, I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy.  Right now.” David looked up and smiled.

“Good.  That’s all I can ask for.  And I’m happy too.  And now we’d better get to class.  I have Glee next, and I’m counting on lots of questions.”

“I’ll walk you there.  We might as well put in an appearance.”

Kurt linked his arm in David’s.  “Is this okay?  I mean, I know pretty much everybody knows.  But earlier today, nobody but Az saw you with your arm around me.”

“This is fine, Fancy.  Let’s go.”

They walked to class, and David was surprised at the number of people who really just ignored them.  The hockey team glared at them when they passed by, and David stared back at them.  They were going to be a problem later on; he could see that right now.  One of them had already slushied him this morning.  But he’d handle them later, when Kurt wasn’t around.

David dropped Kurt off at the doorway to Glee, and Kurt pulled him inside.  “You’ll be fine.”

Mr. Schuester walked over and shook David’s hand, and he clapped David on the shoulder.  “Hey David.  Welcome back to McKinley.  It’s good to see you.”

“Hey Mr. Schue.  Good to be back,” David ducked his head and smiled.

“Would I be correct is assuming you two bonded at some point while I was at Dalton?” Kurt’s eyebrow arched as he grinned.

Mr. Schuester laughed, “Yes, you would be correct, Kurt.  I tried to get him to join Glee when we found out how talented he was during Thriller week.”

“Ah.  This is interesting information,” Kurt turned to David.  “I suppose I’ll need to work on you to get you to join?”

“Fancy, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” David gestured his head toward the class. 

Kurt looked over to the group, and only Finn and Sam seemed unsurprised that Kurt and David had walked in together.

“Mr. Schue and I will deal with them.  Just think about it, okay?” Kurt leaned in and hugged him.  “Please?”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.  Now I have to go to my class,” David said.

David walked out of the room and sighed at the thought of Kurt dealing with his friends on his own.  They thought that he could take everything they dished out, but he knew felt every attack against David as an attack against Kurt too.  They hadn’t supported him like they should have, and he thought Kurt was crazy for thinking that they’d support him being with David.

After the stories he’d heard about Finn and Mercedes and the rest of them, he wondered how much hell they’d put Kurt through before he just gave up on David to keep the peace.

David walked to his gym class quietly, wishing he was over there in Glee with Fancy.  David opened his locker and dropped in his bag.  He doubted that Bieste would care if he did or didn’t dress out, since this was his first day back.  She might even let him work out in the weight room instead of whatever she had planned for everybody else.

“So which one turned you gay, Karofsky?  Glee or that little fag Hummel?” Scott Cooper’s voice sounded behind David, and David slowly shut his locker.

David turned around, and Cooper was surrounded by a few of the puckheads.  Not enough to take David on if he were at full strength, but enough of them to cause him a problem now that his ribs weren’t a hundred percent.  He didn’t have to let the fuckers know that though.

“Fuck off Cooper,” David replied quietly.  “Leave him out of this.”

“Aww.  Protecting your little boyfriend?” Cooper smirked at him.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” David got up in his face and glared.  “You and your little friends can just back the fuck off me.  I’ve had enough of people like you.  It took more of you to handle me at my other school.  In fact, it took six members of the football team to kick my ass, and it took them a long fucking time to take me down.  So do you really think a few of you skinny puckheads are a match for me?”

David looked back and forth between the four former teammates of his. 

“This is really what you want?  We used to be tight.  And I was just as gay then as I am now.  The difference is that now you know it.  Azimio and I used to hang at your house, Malcolm.  You really think I wasn’t gay then?  You really think Hummel turned me?  Because if you do, then you’re fucking stupider than I thought.”

Malcolm fidgeted with discomfort. 

“Nobody gets turned gay, you fucking idiot,” he turned back to Cooper.  “This shit is why people who are gay don’t want to come out.  Do you really think there aren’t any other closeted guys at this school?  I’m sure there are plenty.  And I’m sure you’ve been in the locker room with them.  Does that make you uncomfortable?  Does it bother you that they might be peeking at your junk?  Just get the fuck over it.”

David felt a subtle irony in that he’d had a similar discussion with Kurt in this very locker room. 

“Come on, Coop.  Let’s go.”  Malcolm punched Cooper on the shoulder and gestured toward the locker room door.  And they left. 

The two other players nodded and began to walk out of the room.

“Wait.  Take a message to Cooper.  Coming after me is one thing.  But you guys leave Hummel alone.  I’ve done a lot of stupid shit in my life, and most of it was to him.  But if any of you lay a hand on him, you’ll wish you were anywhere but Lima.  Because I _will_ find you.”

The former teammates nodded and left the room.

“I see you’ve been working on your impulsive behavior,” Coach Bieste said from behind him. 

David turned and smiled at his former football coach.  “Something like that.  It also had to do with not being in good enough shape to kick their asses.  But they don’t know that.”

“Let’s keep it that way.  Come on,” Bieste gestured to her office and David followed her inside.

He sat on the chair opposite her desk, and she sat with her arms folded in front of her.  “So, this is what was going on with you last year?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?  Or to Schuester.  Or even to your dad?  I know your father.  He would have done anything to help you.”  Bieste sat back and crossed her arms in front of her.

She and Schuester had tried so hard to get the football team and Glee to bond.  And honestly, even though most of the team thought that Glee members were losers, nobody had come after a Glee member like David had done to Kurt.  And it had had nothing to do with Glee at all.

“I know that now.  But I didn’t know it then.  I just knew that I felt like I was suffocating, and I was afraid to even try to breathe.  I was afraid that my parents would turn on me.  I was afraid that Az would turn on me for good.”

“What do you mean for good?” Bieste frowned.

“Az did have a problem with it at first, but now he says he was just in shock.  You know, because of everything I did to Kurt.  Az never bullied Kurt without my interference.  Without my say so.” 

David felt another wash of shame over how he’d treated Kurt, and he was sure he always would.  It wouldn’t matter how many times Kurt said he forgave him because David’s problem was forgiving himself.

“You were hard on him.  And pretty hypocritical, don’t you think?” Bieste just looked at him. 

It was a look similar to the one on Burt Hummel’s face during their talk.  It was the _‘I’m disappointed in what you’ve done’_ look.

“Yes.  He knew I was gay, and he never told anyone.  But I was terrified he would, and at the same time I almost hoped he would.  Because then I’d be out and not have to actually say the words myself.”

David shrugged and sat back in the chair.  It didn’t make any more sense to him now that it had a year ago.  He often wished he could go back and just talk to Kurt.  Instead of giving in to the fear that had him shoving Kurt into every locker he could find.  If he’d just sat down with Kurt and told him about his sexuality, everything could have been different.  Kurt probably wouldn’t have ever met Blaine because he would have never had a reason to transfer.

“Hummel has good gaydar then because I would have never even considered it last year.  Thought never even crossed my mind, actually.”  The word gaydar coming out of Bieste’s mouth sounded strange. 

“No,” David answered with a smile.  “I actually blind-sided him with it last year.  He never suspected me either.”

“Then how did he find out?  I can’t imagine that he’d have responded to small talk after everything that happened between you two last year.”

“He knew because I kissed him.  After he chased me into the locker room to challenge me after another shoving incident.”

Bieste colored a little at his confession.  “I see.”

“And he kept my secret for me.  From my family.  From everyone here.  Despite how much of an asshole I was to him.  Through all those meetings we had, he sat there knowing my reasons for bullying him, but he never said a word.  Because he promised me he wouldn’t.”

David truly did understand why Kurt had run to Blaine.  Even though it had made him furious at the time, he could understand it now.  Kurt had to tell someone because the stress had been too much for him to carry alone.

“He’s a good kid,” Bieste said simply.  But he wondered if her next thoughts had been that he was too good for the likes of David.  He was afraid to ask her though.

“Yes he is.  And he forgave me.  Last year actually.  I apologized to him and he forgave me for what I put him through.  And he wants nothing but good things for me.”

“And you two are together?” Bieste asked.  “I heard what you said to Cooper in there.”

“Yes.  We’re together.  And he’s going to get a lot of shit for it.  Probably more than I will because Cooper didn’t want to try and fight me.  I could see it in his eyes.  But that doesn’t mean they won’t go after him, because they did before.”

“You’re probably right.  I see Az next period.  I’ll tell him to keep an eye on Hummel for you.  You want me to tell him what went down with Cooper?”

“Yeah, I won’t see him until sixth period.  Thank you.” 

“No problem.  Your old coach emailed me.  He and a Mr. Callahan are very supportive of you.  He’s punished the team for not getting you help that day.   He cut all of them even if they weren’t there.  Because some of them know who the freshmen were that stood guard, and they won’t tell.  So he’s kicked them all off the team until they find everyone involved.  He asked me to pass that message on to you.”

“Wow.  I didn’t expect that.  Coach Smith is cool.  But I didn’t realize he’d do that.”

David was amazed.  Even though there were people like Cooper around, who felt he deserved to be punished, there were people like Bieste, Coach Smith, and others to show him that not everybody felt the same.

“You don’t give enough people credit, David.”

“Kurt says that all the time.”

“Well, like I said, he’s a good kid,” Bieste shrugged.

“It sounds like that’s an unfinished sentence, Coach.”

“It’s not unfinished.  Just repeating it for reinforcement.”

“So it’s not a warning?” David smiled at her.

She snorted, “Hell no.  I’m sure you’ve gotten plenty of those.  It’s a reminder that Hummel is a good kid, and he sees something in you.  So you should respect that.” 

“I do.  Believe me I do.”


	22. Chapter 22

“Dude, you got a minute?” Sam asked the moment Kurt sat down in the choir room. 

“Sure, what is it?” 

“Come here,” Sam gestured for Kurt to follow him into Mr. Schue’s office. 

“What do I do about Finn?” Sam looked back into the room to make sure that Finn wasn’t eavesdropping. 

Kurt sighed.  He knew this would be coming, but he didn’t think it would actually start this soon.  And he also knew that Sam would be coming to him about it.  Because, after all, if there was one person in the club that knew what it was like to deal with Finn’s issues, it was Kurt.

“What’s he done?” Kurt put his bag down onto Mr. Schue’s desk.

“He’s telling me to stay away from Seb, and he keeps harping on me about being bisexual.”  Sam ground out, obviously furious at Finn. 

So he was Seb already?  Kurt knew that Sebastian worked quickly, but this was quick for Sam.

Kurt wanted so badly to tell Sam that he’d brought it on himself. 

“Sam, has there ever been a time when Finn showed you that he wasn’t accepting of homosexuality?  Think about it.”

“Well, yeah.  Back when we were supposed to do that duet.  He said that me singing with you would be a death sentence for me.”

“That didn’t clue you in on how Finn was going to act?” Kurt sighed. 

He’d known what Finn had said to him about the duet.  Kurt remembered every single word that Finn had said about it.  Every accusation.  Being told that he didn’t know when no meant no.  Being compared to a stalker.  Being told that there should have been a restraining order taken out on him.  He remembered it all very well.  But he and Sam had never talked about what Finn might have said to him about it.  There had never really been a moment for them to do so.

“Well, yeah.  I guess.  But I thought he’d changed.  He’s supposed to be marrying a girl that has two gay dads.” Sam sounded outraged.

Kurt adored Sam, but it was funny how tolerant his friends were when things were happening to Kurt, but when that same behavior was turned on them, they came to Kurt for help.  It was ironic and aggravating.  Sam hadn’t once asked him if Finn had said anything to him back during the duet week,   despite Sam knowing that Kurt had dissolved the partnership over sensitivities in the classroom.  But now that Finn’s behavior directly involved him, he needed Kurt’s advice.

Kurt felt like kicking himself for thinking bad thoughts about Sam, the resident sweet puppy.  But he was still just a bit ticked off that Sam had so easily disregarded him last year. 

Sam hadn’t even considered Kurt an option for him to date last year.  Yet, he’d been used by three girls that were supposed to be his friends.  That still hurt.  Even though he was with David, it still hurt.

“I doubt Finn actually pays attention to Hiram and Leroy.  Not that it matters anyway.” Kurt crossed his arms in front of him.  “What am I supposed to do about it?”

“Tell me what to do,” Sam begged.

“You should have asked me that before you blurted it out in front of Finn just to get into Sebastian’s pants,” Kurt snapped.  And he felt immediately sorry, because the kicked puppy look was back. 

“I thought you’d understand, Kurt.”

“I do understand Sam.  I’m sorry I snapped at you, but you have got to think things through.  There would have been another opportunity to let Seb know you were interested.  I know Finn made you angry, but you have to have a sense of self-preservation here,” Kurt reasoned.

Ever since Kurt had known him, Sam had set himself up for heartbreak.  He’d chosen to date Quinn, a girl who’d made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship, and one who’d cheated on him with the very person they were standing here arguing about.  Finn Hudson. 

Then Sam had moved onto Santana, which had just been a case of masochism.  Santana had treated Sam like shit before they’d dated, and she had continued to do so during their relationship and after their break-up.  And then Mercedes had strung him along while she worked out whether she should be with Sam or Shane.  And then after breaking up with Shane, she still said no to Sam after getting his hopes up.

“What do you mean?” Sam looked confused.

“I mean you have to stop setting yourself up for situations in which you’ll get hurt.  You do it constantly, and yet you get upset when the people who treat you like shit strike again.  Just make sure that Sebastian, and whatever you end up having with him, is worth outing yourself to Finn over.”

“I think it could be,” Sam smiled hesitantly.

“Good.  I’m very glad for you.  But I can’t help you with Finn.  I have enough problems with him myself.  You see how he is with me, and you opened that can of worms on your own.  And I’ll admit it.  I’m still pissed at you that you didn’t trust me with this.  _Until_ I’d proven myself to you by keeping quiet about David.  If you were so scared that you couldn’t even trust _me_ , why in the fucking hell did you spout off in front of Finn about it?”

“I was angry with him,” Sam ground out.

“I get that.  But it doesn’t change the severity of the situation.  He will never stop coming after you over this.  The only reason he didn’t harass me and Blaine so much was because we got together at Dalton. And for most of our relationship, we were still there.  But when Blaine came here, Finn’s bullying began again.  And he gets away with it because he’s Finn.  Dopey, _doesn’t know any better_ , Finn Hudson.  It doesn’t excuse it.  But others don’t get angry with him because they sincerely believe he just doesn’t know any better.  They will attempt to put it on you and tell you that you just don’t understand him.  That you have to be patient with him.  That you have to help him to become more supportive.”

“That’s not my fucking job,” Sam growled.

“And it’s not _mine_ either.  I’m just telling you that this is what will happen.  So you either suck it up and deal with it.  Like I have for over two years.  Or you let him win.  It’s your choice.”

“I either shut up or fight him?”

“Yes.  That’s it.  And make sure that Sebastian is worth fighting for,” Kurt replied before returning to the choir room.

He sat back down in his chair and placed his bag beside him.  Mercedes dropped into the seat next to him and glared at him.  After the discussion with Sam, he really just wasn’t in the mood to deal with outraged Glee members. 

He turned to her.  “What?”

“What is going on with you and Karofsky?  I saw that little display at the door and Finn told Rachel that you two are dating,” Mercedes stared at him.

Seriously?  She was going to pass judgment on him when she had barely talked to him since leaving New Directions for The Troubletones?  Her little diva tantrum had bothered him before because she had lumped Kurt into the group of people that she considered herself better than.  She’d included him in the group of people she’d claimed were holding her back and dragging her down.

“We are.  Can we discuss this some other time?” Kurt was really not going to have this conversation right now. 

“Kurt, just because he’s gay and he got beat up doesn’t mean you have to date him out of pity,” Mercedes snarked.  “Did you break up with Blaine for him?  Cause that’s just all kinds of crazy.”

It struck him as odd that she would assume he was dating David out of pity.  If she really knew how much Kurt had been through with Blaine, she’d realize that if anybody would be dating out of pity, it would be David for Kurt because of all his current fucked-up issues.

“Mercedes, it’s none of your business, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We always talk about stuff like this, Kurt,” Mercedes replied.

“We haven’t talked about stuff like this since you left New Directions for The Troubletones, so don’t start that solidarity thing with me.  You lumped me into a group of people that you felt were dragging you down and holding you back, and you stopped talking to me about anything.  So don’t you start with that shit,” Kurt shot back before grabbing his bag and moving to another chair in the choir room.

“Little Dude, how’s Karofsky?” Puck asked him from a couple of chairs away.

“He’s fine.  He’s tough and his ribs are still killing him, but he’ll be fine,” Kurt swiveled in his chair to answer and crossed his legs.

“So that shit that went down last year?  It was because of this?” Puck slid into the seat closer to Kurt and lowered his voice.  “I threatened to go all death star on him after he drove you to Dalton, but I had no idea this was what it was about.”

“Nobody did but me.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?  We could have dealt with it,” Puck asked with an irritated sigh.

“Because I don’t out.”

Geez.  Why was this such a hard concept for people to grasp?  Even though Santana’s accidental outing didn’t go as badly as David’s intentional one had, people had still been upset with Finn over it.

“Anybody been messing with him?” Puck continued.

“He got slushied.  Other than that, I’m not sure.”

“So you and Dave hooked up?” Puck smirked at him.  “You did always have a thing for jocks, didn’t you?  I never could figure out why you ended up with the Hobbit.”

Kurt smiled both at the Hobbit reference and the knowledge that Puck knew him well enough to know what his type was.

“Yes, we’re together.  He’s taking this outing thing remarkably well so far.  He’s not been nervous about being in public with me.  I guess he’s realized that the worst is probably over.”

It felt surreal talking to Puck about issues like these.  But Puck was non-judgmental in his own unique way.  He hassled people for the sake of harassing people.  Not because he held a deep down feeling of hatred towards them. 

And he also hadn’t bullied Kurt for being gay in sophomore year.  He bullied Kurt because it had been a challenge for him.  Granted, he’d never formally apologized, but he’d taken Kurt under his wing and given him the title of _“Puck’s boy.”_ Which in some parallel universe was probably an apology of sorts.

Kurt felt that Puck probably had bisexual tendencies too.  He was unnaturally obsessed with Sam’s mouth, and he’d caught Puck checking out Kurt’s ass on many occasions.  And as mean as he could be to Blaine about his height, he’d checked Kurt’s ex-boyfriend out a few times as well. 

It was something Kurt had accepted about Puck but they hadn’t ever really talked about.

“Was Aretha giving you shit about it?” Puck nodded his head in Mercedes’s direction.

“Yeah.  The girls seem to think that Blaine walks on water.  And I’m torn between telling them the real reason we broke up and shattering that vision of him or just leaving it alone and hope I don’t throw up when they lavish him with pity.”

Kurt expected it to just get worse anyway.  None of them even knew yet that Blaine hadn’t been the one to send him all those Valentines.  And unfortunately, he’d never really complained about Blaine’s behavior to them since the incident with the GAP boy the previous Valentine’s Day.  So none of his girl friends knew about anything that Blaine had done since then.

“You’re talking like Hobbit did shit to you.  Did he?” Puck’s eyes narrowed.

“Nothing important now.  And it’s over.  Do you remember how I was bragging to you on Valentine’s Day that Blaine was so romantic and it was true love?”

“Yes, I believe I got sick of hearing it and pretty much said fuck it,” Puck laughed.

“Well, it wasn’t him.  All week, every gift I’d gotten was from David.”

“Damn.  He ain’t playing, is he?” Puck whistled.  “He’s got balls.”

“Well, he actually thought Blaine and I had already broken up when he gave me all those.  So he wasn’t trying to steal me from Blaine.  He thought I was available the whole time.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Blaine had been cheating on me with Sebastian the entire time.  David had seen them at Scandal’s, and it had been going on for months.  So he thought I’d broken up with Blaine, which is why he was comfortable sending me those Valentines.”

“Hobbit cheated on you?” Puck glared at Blaine who was seated on the other side of the room.

“Calm down, Noah.  It’s over, and I’m not even mad about it anymore.  If I ever was.  I’d been suspecting it since they met so it was not a shock at all.”

“Okay.  Tell Karofsky I got his back,” Puck sat back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Thanks.  That means a lot to both of us,” Kurt smiled and turned back to the front of the class.

Mr. Schue clapped his hands in front of him and shouted for their attention. 

“We have something to discuss, and I’d rather bring it up now.  Before anything is said outside this room.” 

Kurt had a feeling that Mr. Schue was about to bring up David.  And David wasn’t even sure he wanted to be in Glee.  Kurt sighed.  Leave it to Mr. Schue to try to decide _for_ David. 

“Mr. Schue, is this about what I think it’s about?” Kurt began, and Mr. Schue grinned.

“Yes it is, Kurt,” he answered before turning back to the others. “I’d like to talk about the opportunity to let David Karofsky audition for Glee.”

There were various comments coming from them.  Mercedes and Quinn were violently disagreeing with the idea.  Rachel was asking if his voice was good enough to carry them in competition.  Finn and Sam both voted yes, since they’d promised Kurt they’d back David up when he came back to McKinley.  Artie was quiet.  Santana and Britt both voted yes.  Brittany would probably vote however Kurt voted, but he knew that Santana still had a soft spot for David.  So she would vote based on that.

Tina had turned to look at Kurt, “What do you think about it?”

Apparently she hadn’t heard the news.  Well, nobody had actually.  There hadn’t been much time to make any kind of announcement about it.

“I’m sure Little Dude is fine with it,” Puck grinned.

“I only vote yes if this is what David wants.  And he’s not sure, Mr. Schue.  He still has issues about how things went down last year.”

“How can you of all people agree with this?” Quinn glared at Kurt.

“I’m fine with it for a lot of different reasons that are nobody else’s business, Quinn,” Kurt glared back.

“Look what he did to you last year.  He made you miserable.  He made you transfer,” she continued stubbornly.  “And now you’re dating him?  You broke up with Blaine for him?”

“And he also apologized.  And helped Santana with the bully whips.  And he watched over me.  And he still watches over me.  And he has changed.  Don’t even bother trying to convince me that this has anything to do with me.  You dislike him because he was one of the jocks that targeted you and Finn when you started in Glee.  Don’t make this about me when it’s about you.”  Had people forgotten what had happened at his other school? 

Quinn paled a little, but she sat back even more determinedly than before. 

“Do you not get what he’s going through right now?  He got beaten up at his school, and he’s trying to survive in a school that has only ever known him as a bully.”

“That was karma.  He’d done so much to others that of course he was going to get it back someday, so I don’t feel sorry for him.”

Kurt stood and turned to her. 

“You are such a hypocrite.  You spent most of the past two years bullying Rachel over the rubber band relationships you both had with Finn.  So don’t you sit there and tell me that David deserved shit.  He didn’t get beaten up because somebody finally got revenge on him for being a bully.  He got beaten up for being _gay_.  So if you really feel that he _deserved_ that, then that means you think I deserved what I got.  Or that Blaine deserves it.  And if that’s how you really feel about us, then I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore.”

She paled, as if she hadn’t made the same connections that her words had led Kurt to make.

“It’s just kind of weird seeing you with him, Kurt.  And look what you’ve done to Blaine,” Rachel added hesitantly and gestured towards his ex. 

Blaine looked up startled, as if he didn’t want his name being dragged into the conversation.  And Kurt was sure he wouldn’t want that, since Kurt knew things that would tarnish his good boy image with the group.

Rachel had a soft spot for Blaine because she considered him her equal in talent and drive.  And it really didn’t matter that she’d known Kurt first.  When it came to competition and ambition, Kurt would always be second for her.  Plus, she’d made out with Blaine, which had apparently given them a bond of some type. 

“I haven’t done anything to Blaine, Rachel.  And even if I had, it’s none of your business.  We broke up for reasons that don’t concern any of you.  And I’m tired of being judged for it.”

Blaine stood up with him.  “David being here would be good for him.  And everybody needs to back off Kurt.  He doesn’t deserve this.  And I’m okay.  Really I am.”

“Stop making it sound like you’re innocent in all this, Blaine,” Sam shot out of his seat.

“I’m not making it sound like anything at all Sam,” Blaine answered bitterly.

“You’re not saying anything.  You’re pretending that you weren’t at fault so that everybody could keep blaming Kurt for what happened.”

Kurt really hadn’t expected Sam to leap to his defense since they’d argued not too long ago.  But maybe it had more to do with Sam’s continued irritation with Blaine.  They hadn’t ever really liked each other, and the thought that Blaine had slept with Sebastian probably pissed Sam off enough that he’d take any side that was anti-Blaine.

“What happened?” Tina asked quietly.

“Blaine cheated on him with Sebastian,” Finn supplied. 

This conversation was really getting out of control, and Kurt was just done with it.  Done with all of them. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mercedes shouted at Kurt.

“Because the moment you heard we broke up, you assumed that it was something I’d done to upset Blaine and you wanted to know why I wasn’t trying to get him back.  Anytime something happens in my life, everybody assumes that I bring it on myself.”

“That’s not true, Kurt,” Mr. Schue argued.

“Really?  Then why are people always telling me that if I dressed differently I wouldn’t have been bullied?  That if I didn’t look so gay, people would leave me alone?  That if I just did this differently or did that differently, bad things wouldn’t happen to me?  Half of you assume that I deserve what I get every day because I don’t believe in God and if I just prayed, then things would get better for me.”

The members of the group were sitting there looking back at him in shock.  He’d been holding this in for longer than he thought.  And even though he felt guilty for yelling at them, it also felt good to get it out.

“And now that people know David is gay, I keep getting the same question.  Why didn’t I tell anybody he was gay because that would have changed everything in my life last year?  Because I don’t fucking out people, and I’m getting tired of being blamed for what happened simply because I didn’t say _hey everybody, I know Karofsky is scaring me but he’s really a closeted gay guy, so I’d appreciate it if you would help us out with that_.”

Mr. Schue walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling.  But I’m not sorry for getting my point across.  I’m going to go now because I’m tired and I’ve been dealing with shit all day.” Kurt crossed the room, picked up his bag, and walked out.

Kurt walked down the hallway to his locker and put away the books he didn’t need anymore.  He heard footsteps, and he turned to find Blaine standing there. 

“I did it again, didn’t I?” Blaine asked quietly.

“Did what again?” Kurt asked as he flipped through his books to find the ones he’d need for the next few classes.

“The way I flipped everything to make it sound like I was the victim.  I didn’t even realize I was doing it until Sam called me out for it.”

Well, Oblivious Boy _could_ learn. 

“I know you don’t realize it when you say it.  That’s why I’ve always been kind of patient about it.  But not anymore.”

“They’re still arguing about David.”

“He’s not even sure he wants in, so this argument was pointless to begin with.  And I’m not sure I even want to be there anymore, honestly,” Kurt dropped everything he would need in his bag and shut his locker.

“Don’t do that.  You have NYADA finals to think about.”

“Yeah.  And I have my sanity to think about too.”

“Well, look who we found boys,” Scott Cooper’s voice rang out behind Kurt. 

Kurt turned to find Cooper and three other hockey mullet addicts standing there glaring at them.  Just perfect.  This was exactly what he needed.  He was so not in the mood for puckheads today.  Not after everything he’d been through in Glee. 

“What do you want, Cooper?” Kurt adjusted his bag and stood up taller. 

“Had a little chat with Karofsky today.”

“What did you do to him?” Kurt took a step forward and glared at him.

“Look at you thinking you can defend your homo boyfriend,” Cooper laughed derisively.  “We were asking him if it was Glee that turned him gay or if it was you who did.”

“You all are so fucking stupid that there’s no point in arguing with you,” Kurt turned to walk away.

“Kurt,” Blaine warned quietly.

“We have a message we need to send to your boyfriend, Hummel.  Grab him, boys.”

Kurt felt hands on his arms, and he dropped his bag to struggle.  They were too strong, and there were too many of them.  Cooper alone, Kurt might be able to get away from.  But the other three were much bigger.  And they went with Cooper everywhere.

“Let go of me, you assholes,” he shouted.  “Blaine, get out of here.”

“What?” Blaine hesitated between listening and staying with Kurt.

“Get out of here.  Go get Schue!” Kurt yelled at him.

He continued to struggle, but the three puckheads carrying him were taking him to the back door leading out of the school.  He yelled out once before one slapped a greasy and unwashed hand over his mouth.  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.  This hallway was pretty quiet during the afternoon. 

Maybe everybody at this school was right.  Maybe Kurt did bring this shit on himself.

 


	23. Chapter 23

Kurt wondered how long Cooper had been planning something like this.  It was sheer cowardice.  They knew they couldn’t take down David alone, so they decided to go after Kurt to punish him. 

He struggled all the way outside, and he was deposited near the port-a-pottys outside near the football field.  Cooper was glaring at him.  The other boys just looked nervous.  Like they weren’t sure they still wanted to be hanging around him and getting involved in situations like this.

“What’s the matter boys?  Getting nervous?” Kurt mocked them.

“Shut up, Hummel,” Cooper shot back at him. 

“Why should I?  So they can feel less guilty about this?  So they can continue feeling like I deserve it?” Kurt put his hands on his hips.  If he was going to get beat up, he’d go down telling every one of them what version of hell they could go to. 

“I said shut your fucking mouth.  You wanna be useful to your homo boyfriend don’t you?  So you better shut your mouth before I rearrange it,” Cooper threatened.

“Awww.  Are you jealous?  You know, the last jock to come after me ended up being gay, so you might want to rethink your motives.  I’d hate to be responsible for converting someone else into being gay.”

The other three puckheads stared at Cooper, as if they were rethinking his motives as well.

“Shut up, you fucking fag.”

“So original.  You really need to get better material cause I’ve heard it all,” Kurt smirked at him. 

Cooper dove at him, like he had lost all control and was going to tackle Kurt. 

Wrong sport, _asshole_ , Kurt thought as he dove to the side, thankful for good reflexes and dancing skills, and Cooper missed him by a few inches.  He fell to the ground with a grunt and a curse. 

The other three were shifting back and forth, still nervous about how this had gone down, he assumed. 

“You puckheads better get off my boy,” a familiar voice sounded from behind the other puckheads.

It was Azimio Adams, and he’d reached the group in a very short time.  He stared at Cooper, who’d gotten up but hadn’t come at Kurt again.  Azimio stepped between Cooper and Kurt. 

“My boy Dave ain’t gonna like you coming after his boy like this.  So you’d better rethink what you’re about to get into.”

Behind him, the boys from Glee came streaming out of the school, followed closely by Mr. Schue.  They surrounded the group and Mr. Schue grabbed Cooper by the elbow. 

“What happened Kurt?  Did they hurt you?”

“They manhandled me, but nobody punched me or anything.  They just harassed me.”

“Listen Hummel, we need to talk about this whole bitchy, challenge the fuck out of people bigger than you thing you got going on.  I ain’t got time to worry about your skinny ass all day,” Azimio grinned at him through the complaining.

“Thanks Az.”

He was kind of shocked that Az had followed them out, but it seemed that his relationship with David really was stronger than they’d thought at first.  And he was grateful.  Kurt could mock with the best of them, but if the other three hadn’t hesitated, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid Cooper for long.  It had been a relief to see Az walking towards him.

“I can’t find Dave.  I texted him when I saw them drag you down the hall.  But he hasn’t answered.” Az frowned as he said it.

“We couldn’t find him either.  He wasn’t in class,” Mike added.

“What did you assholes do to him?” Kurt turned and yelled at Cooper.

“Hey calm down, Hummel.  I doubt they could even get Dave down on the ground.”  Az dismissed the puckheads as if they weren’t a challenge for David at all. 

And they probably weren’t as long as David wasn’t already injured.  He was strong but he wasn’t invincible.

“Nothing.  We didn’t do nothing to him.” Cooper replied to Mr. Schue instead of Kurt. 

“Come on, let’s get you to Figgins.  Guys make sure that Kurt gets back to the choir room okay.”

He wasn’t an invalid, and he could make sure he got back to the room just fine on his own.  He let them walk him back though, even though part of him resented it. 

They probably assumed he deserve this harassment too.  Just like he brought everything else down on himself. 

Part of him hoped that David wouldn’t find out about this because then he’d never let Kurt out of his sight.  Another part, the part of him buried deep that actually believed in violence, wanted him to find out.  Kurt always tried to ignore that little voice, because all it did was cause more trouble.  But that little voice, as small as it was, could appreciate the idea of kicking someone’s ass for revenge purposes.

Once Kurt was back inside the room, the girls surrounded him.  Quinn didn’t apologize, but she seemed honestly concerned that the hockey team members had hurt him.  Brittany had practically climbed him, and she was cooing and checking him for injuries.  Santana’s concern was more reserved, but it was there. 

Rachel was spouting off about homophobic behavior and lawsuits, and Tina had grabbed his hand silently.  Sugar was muttering about how she _wished_ her father was in the mafia so he could do something about those idiots.

Some of the boys came with Kurt, and the others, Finn and Sam included, had gone with Mr. Schue to take Cooper and his friends to Figgins.  Kurt didn’t actually expect Figgins to do anything to them.  He’d never taken much of a stand on bullying, especially when Kurt happened to be the victim of it.

The girls were still babying him when David walked into the room, Azimio right behind him.  Az must have continued looking for him after everything had settled down. 

Kurt watched as David’s eyes scanned the room until he found Kurt buried in a pile of girls, and he came straight to him.  David had tears in his eyes, and his hands lifted to Kurt’s face.  He tilted Kurt’s head to the right and then to the left, apparently checking for injuries.  The girls moved back out of the way for David to take over.

Kurt felt David’s fingers brush over the skin under his mouth and above his chin.  He wondered idly if there was a bruise there from the Neanderthal who’d covered his mouth.

It was as if David was afraid to speak.  Afraid to ask if Kurt was okay because he didn’t want to know the answer.

“I’m fine, David,” Kurt whispered. 

David nodded, wordless, and he continued examining him.  He held one of Kurt’s hands up and he found a barely there bruise on the underside of Kurt’s wrist.  David kissed it softly, and then he searched Kurt’s other wrist for similar marks. 

“David?” Kurt repeated his name, but David ignored him. 

He heard a sob hiccup out of David as he continued his inspection of any skin that was exposed.  Kurt felt his heart break for David.  Kurt could tell that he felt it was his fault.  He could feel the guilt seeping from him, and Kurt hated it.  David couldn’t be with him all the time, so he couldn’t blame himself if he wasn’t there when things happened to Kurt.  He couldn’t allow David to take all that blame onto himself.  As it was, David still felt guilty about their past.

“I’m fine, David.  I promise.”

David nodded again, and he pulled Kurt into a hug.  David’s arms were strong and supportive, and Kurt felt himself begin to cry.  David squeezed him tighter and nuzzled his face against Kurt’s cheek. 

It hurt more that David felt guilty than it had when the puckheads had grabbed him and manhandled him.  Nothing hurt like seeing the expression on David’s face. 

And he’d do anything to make that expression go away. 

Because he loved him.  Kurt _loved_ David.  He sighed. 

He’d thought he was headed in that emotional direction all along during this friendship turned relationship, but he hadn’t been _sure_ until this moment.  Maybe it was too soon, and maybe it was crazy for him to think it.  But he loved him. 

It wasn’t going to make anything easier for them, he was sure, but he’d imagined himself in love with Blaine after just a few weeks of being with him.  And how he felt for David was stronger and more emotional and just much more. 

More everything.  It was more powerful than anything he’d felt for Blaine.    

He knew he loved David because he’d do anything to make that look go away.  David loved him so much that he felt he needed to protect him from everything that happened in his life.  And he felt so crushingly guilty when he couldn’t that Kurt physically ached to watch him struggle with it.

It didn’t even matter that it had only been a little over a week since they’d gotten together.  They’d known each other for much longer, and there had always been more between them than they could handle.  At least before.  But they could handle it now.

He’d known David was different that first night in Scandal’s.  He’d known that David was so much more when he’d joined the Bully Whips.  And it felt like every major decision in his life in the past year involved this man in one way or another. 

David was just holding him.  And he hadn’t spoken a word since he entered the room.  His hands were now buried in Kurt’s hair, and his forehead was touching Kurt’s.  Kurt wrapped his arms around David and just held him back.  This is what David needed. 

Kurt smiled as he imagined the looks that had to be on the faces of the Glee Club members.  Nobody but Finn and Sam knew that David was allowed to touch Kurt like this.  Blaine’s mouth had probably dropped open by now, and Kurt had to stifle a giggle at the idea.

Kurt could hear the whispers surrounding them, but he wasn’t focused on what they were saying.  He didn’t care.  All he cared about was the man who was holding him.  He vaguely wondered what Azimio was thinking, seeing his friend, his strong and impenetrable friend, holding Kurt like this.

And then David was kissing him gently.  Kurt didn’t stop him because Kurt didn’t care what anybody thought of them at this moment.  David needed reassurance that Kurt was okay, and he was going to give him that in any way possible. 

They could feel embarrassed later that they’d shown so much intimacy in front of their friends.  That wasn’t as important as this moment. 

“David, look at me,” Kurt pulled back and cupped David’s face in his hands and pulled him so that their eyes could meet.  “I’m not hurt.  Okay?”

David nodded again and bent to nuzzle Kurt’s neck.  He just stayed there, breathing against Kurt’s skin, like he was searching for a pulse in Kurt’s artery, despite the obvious evidence that Kurt was, in fact, completely fine.

Kurt wrapped his arms around David’s shoulders and held him.  He felt David’s arms wrap around him, under his own, and he sighed into his embrace. 

“David?” Kurt whispered again.

David looked up at him, tears falling continuously down his face, and he smiled weakly.  “Yeah?” 

His voice was husky and full of pain and fear.  And guilt that was palpable.  It was the first word he’d spoken since he walked into the choir room, and it had sounded like it had taken all the energy he had to be able to get the word out of his mouth.  Kurt pulled his face so that he could look straight into David’s eyes and then he leaned in to get his lips close to David’s ear.

“I love you too,” he whispered for only David to hear.

David squeezed tears from his eyes and pulled him closer.  “I love you so much, Fancy,” he whispered against Kurt’s neck.

“I know.  And I’m fine.  Other than the few bruises from them grabbing me, I’m not hurt.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” David breathed against his skin.

“I’m okay.  You can’t be there all the time.  It’s physically impossible.”

He didn’t care what David thought about that.  He’d have to drum it out of him. 

“Still.  I knew they were going to try something,” David argued.

“And you couldn’t have predicted _when_ , baby.” Kurt smiled when David sighed against him. 

He was still unwilling to consider the fact that he couldn’t be there twenty four hours a day to make sure that Kurt was safe from all harm.

“I was with Bieste.  That’s why they couldn’t find me.  I was skipping class, and I didn’t realize I’d turned the volume off on my phone.  I missed Az’s text.  And then when he did find me, it was after they’d already…” David replied quietly.

“David, I’m fine.  I promise.”

“I know.  It’s just I saw those words on my phone.  And I heard what Az was saying, and I just lost it.  My mind was gone.  All I could think about was getting to you,” David whispered.

“I can see that,” Kurt smiled up at him.  “I’m safe.”

“I’ll be furious in a few minutes.  I warned them.  I told them to keep their hands off you.  And they didn’t listen.” David’s voice was low and husky.  “They are going to wish they had.”

“David, that won’t solve anything,” Kurt argued quietly.

“Yes, it will.”

“David,” Kurt warned.  And he feathered his fingers over David’s face.  “We’ll agree to disagree about that.” 

“Not fair,” David smiled through a protest as his eyes fluttered close.  “You can’t use my kryptonite against me.”

“I had to calm you down somehow,” Kurt grinned and continued to brush his fingers over David’s face.  “So I’ll use whatever skills I have in my arsenal.”

David smiled and pulled away from him.  “You win.  But I can’t promise that I won’t deal with this later.”

“David,” Kurt started to warn, but he decided against it.  If it made David feel better to just imagine the revenge he’d take against them, then Kurt would at least let him have the idea of it.  Even if he’d later fight against David actually doing anything about it.

Kurt turned to Az.  “Will you make sure he gets back to class without going near Figgins’s office?”

Az nodded and smirked at David’s display of weakness against Kurt.  “Damn boy, you’re whipped.”

David smiled at him and punched his arm. “Shut up.”  And then he turned to the boys in Glee.  “Watch him for me.”

Kurt hadn’t even realized that Mr. Schue and the other guys from Glee had returned to the choir room.  There were looks of amazement on their faces, and some, like Finn, looked uncomfortable. 

Kurt and Blaine had never shown the group members any signs of the level of intimacy of their relationship.  And they’d seen David nearly break down at just the thought of Kurt being hurt. 

And honestly, even when they were alone, Blaine had never shown this kind of love towards Kurt.  Probably because he didn’t actually feel it.

The girls were smiling at him, but he ignored them.  He’d deal with their questions later. 

Blaine was off to the side, shifting awkwardly, and looking what he could only describe as jealous.  But Kurt had a feeling that if that was how Blaine was really feeling, he was jealous of Kurt, and not David. 

Deep down, Blaine wanted someone who could defend him, and Kurt could do that with words but not with his fists.  Kurt thought that the incident at the Sadie Hawkins dance had affected Blaine more than the boy even realized.

Kurt had seen the seconds of indecision on Blaine’s face when the puckheads had grabbed him.  He’d been torn between running and staying to help Kurt.  So Kurt had made the decision for him by telling him to go back to the Glee Club for back-up.

It wasn’t really his fault that Blaine’s instinct was to run.  He couldn’t imagine being attacked the way Blaine had been at his old school and how David had been at his.  That, fortunately, hadn’t ever happened to Kurt. 

A _yet_ hovered there.  But he didn’t want to acknowledge it.  Because that felt like admitting that it was inevitable that it would happen to Kurt one day.

“David, I can handle myself,” Kurt argued.

“Don’t push me, Hummel.” David smiled at the doorway.

“Okay, I give in.  Don’t push me, Karofsky.” Kurt wrapped his arms around himself and watched Az lead David from the room.

“Damn, boy.” Mercedes looked astonished.  “What did you do to him?”

Kurt giggled.  “I didn’t do anything to him.  And don’t give him a hard time over that.  He’ll be embarrassed enough when he realizes that he fell apart in front of you guys.”

“Little Dude, I cannot just let that slide,” Puck smirked.  “I have never seen anybody so whipped.  And I know Finn, so that’s saying something.”

Puck looked overjoyed at having some sort of ammunition against David.

“Hey,” Finn protested, but he quieted when Rachel shushed him.  Kurt laughed at Finn’s little display that proved Puck’s point.

“David’s not whipped,” Kurt protested half-heartedly. 

They’d never believe it after this, but he felt the need to defend him.  It wasn’t that David was whipped.  He just loved Kurt more than Kurt had ever been loved before, and when he worried, it showed.

“Well, Kurt, I won’t agree that he’s whipped,” Mr. Schue stated with a smile, “but he certainly is different.”

“Yes, he is.  I just wish everybody could see him the way I do,” Kurt replied quietly.

“I think we just did, Boo.” Brittany dropped down into the seat beside him and nodded.  “I think we just did.”


	24. Chapter 24

Shit.  Kurt _said_ it.  He really fucking said it. 

David was grinning from ear to ear when he left the choir room, and not even Az giving him shit for his breakdown was going to interfere with his happiness right now.

Az hadn’t been able to find him after he’d left Bieste’s office because he’d decided to skip history class.  While it was the class he disliked most, he didn’t really have a good reason for skipping.  He just hadn’t felt like being there.  He’d missed so much class all day thanks to the slushie, and the talk with Az, and the make-out sessions with Kurt.  What could missing one more class do?

Well, apparently, it was the difference between them finding him to tell him that the hockey team had ambushed Kurt and not finding him to tell him.

He hadn’t even realized that the volume on his phone was off.  When he’d finally checked his phone, hoping for a message from Kurt, he’d seen the missed texts.  From like twenty minutes before. 

The first had only said ‘ _Puckheads have Kurt,’_ and David’s stomach had dropped. 

He’d tried texting Az back, and then he’d tried texting Kurt.  But nothing.  Then, Az called again.  And he’d explained that Kurt was fine and was in the choir room.  And then David had just lost it. 

He couldn’t even remember the walk, run, whatever it had been, to the choir room.  And then, Kurt was there, shaken up but seemingly fine. 

David’s throat hadn’t worked.  He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk.  All he could do was touch him.  

And he had to make sure that every inch of him was alright before he could breathe again.  That had been intense.  And apparently, also intense for Fancy, because he’d whispered those words into David’s ear. 

“ _I love you too_.”

He didn’t even care that it could have just been a reaction to the situation.  A reaction to seeing David fall apart like a freaking girl over him.  He’d deal with that shit later.

But he’d said it.  He’d fucking said he loved David.  And that’s all he cared about right now.

Kurt Hummel said he loved him.  He knew he had his own shit-eating grin on his face, but he didn’t even care. 

David went to his locker with Az, and he opened it and got his stuff out.  When he shut it, Az was staring at him with a shit-eating grin.  David smiled and rolled his eyes, and muttered, “Go on.  Get it over with.”

“Shit Dave.  You got it bad.  I’ve never seen anybody act like that,” Az laughed.

“Shut up, shithead.  I was scared he was hurt.”

“Yeah, but I told you he wasn’t.  And you still acted like that.  You are so fucking whipped it ain’t even funny.”

“If it ain’t funny, then why are you laughing, asshole?” David grinned back.

“It’s cool dude.  I mean, I just don’t ever see you like that.”

“Because you’ve only seen me talk about girls, remember?” David replied.

“At lot of shit makes sense now, by the way.  But this Hummel thing?  How long has it been a thing for him too?  I know you said it’s always been him, but after everything from last year.  When did he… you know?”

“I apologized to him last year, and I transferred because of the stress of coming out combined with seeing him and not being with him.  I hated it.  I knew he was with his no-sock wearing freak, and I’d done too much to him to even consider that he’d want to be with me.”

It felt weird talking to Az about this, but no weirder than it had when they’d talked about girls.  And especially no weirder than when Az had been in the throes of his Mercedes Jones obsession.  Now that time period of Az’s life had been uncomfortable for David.  He’d learned more about Az’s kinks than any best friend should ever know.

But this wasn’t talk about sex, which he doubted he could ever do with Az.  This was about relationship shit.  That was the weird part.

Because he was in a relationship with Kurt Hummel. 

Kurt Hummel loved David, _you’re not my type Hamhock_ , Karofsky.  How the hell does that shit even happen to him?  Damn, he couldn’t wait to get Fancy alone again. 

“So it was Valentine’s Day?  Is that when it happened for him?  Because he was with no-sock wearing freak up until then.  I know cause I’ve seen them.”

“Yeah, he broke up with no-sock wearing freak that night after I met him at Breadstix to tell him how I felt about him.  And then we were supposed to just be friends,” David shrugged.

“But you can’t keep your hands off him?” Az smirked.

“Something like that.  And how are you okay with talking about this?  This doesn’t creep you out?”

He’d never expected Az to even want to know about any of it. 

“I told you.  I don’t have any problems with it.  I just always thought _you_ did.  That’s why I couldn’t believe it when you fessed up.  I figured you were as homo-hating as it got, based on how you were acting with Hummel.”

“I get that.  I’m an asshole, and I acted like one.” David replied.

“No.  Just really good at hiding I guess.  We’re good as long as you don’t have any hidden fantasies about me.”

“You wish,” David smirked.  And then he cringed at the idea of being attracted to Az. 

“No.  Really, I don’t wish,” Az shuddered in disgust. 

“Shut up, asshole.”

“I really think you should stop using that word as an insult, since you have that whole gay thing going for you,” Az laughed and punched him in the arm.  “You know, cause you like them?”

“You are the biggest fucking asshole I’ve ever had the pleasure of pounding into the ground,” David replied sweetly. “How’s that?”

“That’s disgusting,” Az mocked and puckered up for an air-kiss.  “And you never kicked my ass that time, remember? I kicked yours.”

“Faulty memory, dude.  I beat _your_ ass.”

“You might have kissed it.  Fuck, I should have realized it then,” Az laughed and held his hand up to his mouth. 

“You can kiss _my_ ass,” David suggested.

“Isn’t that Hummel’s job now?” Az shot back. 

“You’re lucky I’m too injured right now, or I would fuck your ass up right now,” David challenged.

“You know.  I never realized before how all our arguments involve the words fuck and ass,” Az looked disturbed by this realization.

“It’s called homoerotic undertones, at least I think that’s what Fancy called it,” David grinned at him and slapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s called what?” Az looked confused.

“Homo.  Erotic.  Under.  Tones,” David repeated slowly, stifling his laughter.  “You _need_ to be educated Az.  You might not have to _come out_ , but you _need_ to be educated,” he informed him in his best Fancy impression.

 “The fuck?” Az shouted.

And David lost it.  “Oh my god, your face!” 

David laughed until his ribs started to hurt, and Az eventually caved into the pressure and laughed too. 

“You fucking asshole,” Az muttered good-naturedly.

“See, now we’re back to normal.  Oh god.  Kurt will love this when I tell him. He’ll wish he’d been standing here.”

“So now you’re gonna go tell your boyfriend all about our homoneurotic undertoes?”

“Homo _erotic_ , not neurotic, and under _tones_ , not toes,” David laughed again. 

“What the fuck ever, man.” Az waved a hand at him dismissively. “I thought we had something Dave.  I thought what we had was special,” Az smirked and put his hand over his heart.

“It is special Az.  You’re the Magneto to my Professor X.”

“Wait, what?  Magneto was gay? The fuck?”

“According to Kurt, yes.  They both were.  But he also thinks Spock and Captain Kirk were trying to get into each other’s pants too.”

“Your boy has issues.”

“I know,” David smiled. 

“But you like love him and shit,” Az marveled at the idea.

“Yes, I like love him and shit,” David agreed.

And apparently, Kurt loved him too.  But he wasn’t sharing those words with anybody.  Not until he’d gotten used to them.  Played around with them in his head.  Repeated them over and over a thousand times.  And then finally decided to believe them.

“Oh, I forgot one other thing.  We’ll be all good as long as you don’t join Glee.  Cause _that’s_ really gay.”

“Shut up, you fucker.”

“Hey, before we go to class.  What are we doing about Cooper and his friends?” Az stood with his arms crossed in front of him.

“You’re with me on this?” 

David had expected to have to deal with Cooper alone, honestly. 

“Was there any question about that?” Az frowned at him.

“Sorry.  Never would have asked before.  But this.  This is different.  So I thought I should ask,” David shrugged.

“We’re good, Dave.  We’ve been friends since we were five.  I got your back.” 

“Yeah, but if we get suspended, your parents will find out that it was about me and Kurt.  They won’t like it,” David reminded quietly.

“They can deal.”

“I need to see what Figgins does first.  Fancy will kill me if I do anything before they’ve _‘gone through the proper channels’_ as he would call it.”

“Fuck the proper channels.”

“I normally would.  But not if it means I do something to lose him,” David replied.

“See, now that’s why your ass is whipped.”

“Oooh, I wonder if I can get Fancy to agree to doing that,” David said and waited for Az to figure it out.

“Shit, I ain’t ever gonna be able to talk to you again, am I?”

“Probably not without the homoneurotic undertoes anyway.” 

“Hummel’s gonna be jealous,” Az pushed him to the side and continued walking.

“I’ll tell him that he has my heart, but you own my ass.  How’s that?” David smirked.

“Another visual I don’t need,” Az closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Too bad.  I don’t think Fancy will share though.  We’ll have to clear it with him.”

“Dude.  It’s not funny anymore,” Az smiled through his protest.

“Yes, it is.”

When they got to the hallway where both their classes were, they fist bumped and separated, prepared to get yelled at for being late by their respective teachers.

David offered no explanation for being late, and he took the tongue lashing like a man.  He sat down and pulled out his cell phone, carefully hiding it under the desk.  Since he’d taken a seat in the back, he doubted she would see it. 

**From David:  I didn’t daydream that confession, did I?**

**From Fancy:  No, you didn’t.  I said it.**

That was good.  Because he wanted to hear it again.  Multiple times preferably.

**From David:  Good. I love you, Fancy.**

**From Fancy:  I love you too Yogi.**

David stared down at that text with a stupid desire to lock it so that he could never accidentally delete it.  What was wrong with him?  He’d gone completely soft.  And it really didn’t bother him at all to admit it.

**From David:  Meet me?**

**From Fancy:  When?**

**From David:  Now? Lol**

**From Fancy:  Impatient much?**

**From David:  Fuck yeah.**

**From Fancy:  Give me ten minutes.**

David managed to convince the teacher that his ribs hurt badly enough to get a pass to see the nurse.  Luckily, she knew about the assault, so it didn’t take long to convince her.

David bypassed the nurse’s office and headed to the bathroom.

He only had to wait a little bit longer than ten minutes before Fancy came smiling into the bathroom.  David wasted no time at all, and he met him halfway only to back him up against the bathroom door.  David buried his hands in his hair and attacked his mouth. 

Fancy murmured something that sounded like ‘mmmhmm’ and wrapped his arms around David’s neck.  David dropped his mouth down to his neck, and he sucked the spot just below Kurt’s ear.  The spot that always made Fancy moan indecently.

Kurt pulled back slightly, “I’m glad you didn’t do this in the choir room.”

His head fell back, and David took advantage of the extra length of neck now available.  David licked a stripe from Fancy’s collarbone up to his ear. 

“Why?” he whispered.

“We’d get suspended for indecent something or other,” Kurt breathed.

“Would be worth it,” David decided and nuzzled his mouth against Kurt’s neck again.

“God, that feels good,” Kurt gasped.

“Good.  Say it again.” 

“I love you, David,” Kurt smiled at him.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

“But how?”

“How did you know you loved me?”

“I lied to myself for almost two years, told myself that I just wanted to get you out of my system, drove you away with my stupid actions, pined for you while you were gone, beat myself up when I saw you with the no-sock wearing freak you dated, and ached for you to come back to Scandal’s just once so I could just see your face again, and that’s when I finally said, _fuck it you idiot_ , you love him.”

David shrugged and shifted against him, but didn’t let go.  He wasn’t going to let go of Kurt ever.  Not now that he’d finally done something that convinced Kurt he loved him.  He wasn’t letting him go for anything now.

“That was charmingly descriptive.  You’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Kurt smiled.

“Had to.  Knew you ask at some point,” David breathed against Kurt’s neck.

“Good to know.  May I ask a question?” Kurt sounded like he was on the verge of laughing.

“Of course,” David kissed the skin at the base of Kurt’s neck.

“No-sock wearing freak?  Really?”

“Az’s name for him.  Not mine.  It’s the only way he can remember who he is,” David chuckled. 

“Ah.  I will never be able to get that idea out of my head though.”

“Try having Az as your homoneurotic undertoes partner.”

“What the hell?” Kurt burst out laughing. 

“I’m trying to teach him.  He _needs_ to be educated, Fancy.”

“Oh my god, _what_ are you trying to teach him?” Kurt put both hands on his hips.

“You should have seen him.  I was channeling you.  I told him that he didn’t need to _come out_ , but he _needed_ to be educated.  He almost had a stroke,” David’s eyes were watering with laughter, and he wiped him away with his fingers.

Kurt laughed and hugged him.  “Should I be worried about this?  And which one of you came up with homoneurotic undertoes?”

“That was Az.  He mispronounced it and I laughed my ass off.”

“Why were you discussing this?”

“He realized every time he and I argue we use the words fuck and ass.”

“So I _should_ be worried?”

“He did say you’d be jealous.”

“I will. And why exactly?”

“Because I’m supposed to tell you that you own my heart but he owns my ass,” David choked with laughter as he said it.

“Um.  I don’t think so, buddy.”

“He also doesn’t believe your theory about Magneto and Professor X.  Or Spock and Kirk.  I _told_ you he needs to be educated.”

“Has he even seen those movies?  Come on.  It’s obvious.  And the original series of Star Trek?  Has he not watched the same show we’ve watched?”

“Apparently, he watched them through his heterosexual goggles.”

“Apparently.  I have so much work to do.”

“I knew you’d like that.  Now, how did you know you loved me?”

“Okay, let me make sure I say this right.  When you were so upset, and you were trying to make sure I wasn’t hurt, I knew I loved you because I wanted to make that worried look on your face go away.  I wanted to reassure you.”

“So you said it just to make me stop worrying,” David pulled back.

“No, see.  Don’t you dare pull away from me.  I told you I needed to say it right,” Kurt sighed.

“No, I get it,” David unwrapped Kurt’s arms from his neck.

“No you don’t get it.”

David turned to leave. 

“Stop it David,” Kurt pushed him up against the wall.  “Now you listen to me.  The moment I realized how badly that I wanted you to not worry is the moment I realized that I do love you.  Because realizing that I’d do anything to make you _not_ worry is how I _knew_ I loved you.  Fuck it.  No matter how I say it, it comes out wrong.  Go on.  Stalk out.  It won’t solve anything, and you’ll believe what you want to believe anyway.”

Kurt gestured to the door for him to leave.

“Don’t push me Hummel.”

“I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.  You pushed me against the wall just now.”

“You’re just so aggravating sometimes.”

“Say it.”

“Say what.”

“Don’t push me, Hummel,” David repeated.

“Don’t push me, Karofsky,” Kurt smirked back at him.

“Okay.  So what you _meant_ was that because you realized you’d do anything to make me not worry, that’s how you figured out that you love me.  You didn’t say it just to _make_ me not worry?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.  I get insecure.”

“Really?  I didn’t know that,” Kurt replied sarcastically.  “That’s why I just wanted to leave it at _‘I just do.’_   I knew I’d say it wrong, just like I did about the chubby, balding thing back in the locker room.  And I knew you’d get upset about it, and then you’d focus on it all the time, and it would end up hurting your feelings somehow.”

“You think too much.”

“I have to.  For survival.”

“Hey,” David pulled him into a hug.  “I don’t care how.  And I don’t care why.  I don’t even care when you knew it.  I just _love_ that you love me.”

“See, now why can’t I say shit like that?” Kurt sighed against him.  “Why do my confessions always have to be so fucking awkward and create drama?”

“You’re not as romantic as I am.  And you don’t create drama.  I happened to think you saying ‘ _I love you too_ ’ in my ear at that exact moment was perfect fucking timing.”

 


	25. Chapter 25

**From Kurt:  I’m being kidnapped by girls.**

Kurt grinned when he sent off the text to David.  Now that school was over, and they’d finished with the extra Glee practice, Kurt’s girls had descended on him en masse to find out details of this new relationship. 

**From Yogi:  That’s not good.  Can I ‘help’?**

They’d had one more make-out session before the school day ended, and Kurt had barely managed to make it out of the bathroom without being compromised on the floor.  Kurt grinned and let himself think about what else might happen if David came to ‘ _help_ ’ him.

**From Kurt:  I don’t think they’ll let you.  I’m being forced to confess details.**

He really didn’t plan on giving them all the details.  But they weren’t going to let him go until he confessed something.

**From Yogi:  If you survive, can I see you later?**

Oh, hell yeah.  That was definitely doable.

**From Kurt:  Of course.  I can’t wait.**

**From Yogi:  Call me when they release you.  But if they tie you up, have them call me, and I’ll come ‘help’.**

Kurt laughed, and smiled down at the text. 

**From Kurt:  You got it.  Any bondage, and I’ll send you an SOS.**

**From Yogi:  Hell, yeah, baby. ;)**

And then Santana ripped his phone from his hands.  She glanced down at the last exchange, and smirked.  “Wanky.”

“Do you not have any other words to describe your kinks?” Kurt laughed at her and grabbed for his phone.

“Not really,” Santana shrugged. “Now let’s go, Prancy.” 

Santana and Brittany climbed into the backseat of his Navigator, and Rachel followed them inside.  Mercedes got into the front seat, and smiled at him. 

“Quinn is coming later. She gets to see Beth today.  Sugar is going to drive her own car, and Tina’s coming with her.”

“Okay.  We going to my house?”

“Yes, of course.  Now spill.”

“If I spill before Tina gets here, she’ll kill me,” Kurt laughed.

“She’ll get over it,” Santana smirked from behind him.

“That was intense in there, Kurt.  I could never have imagined Karofsky being like that,” Mercedes had marveled at David’s reaction to Kurt’s possible injury. 

“I could,” Santana replied. 

Kurt met her gaze in the rear view mirror and smiled.  She was probably the only person who could completely understand David’s point of view.  If anybody dared to harm Brittany, Santana would have done the same thing.  But he doubted anybody would have been able to stop her.

“Yeah?” Kurt responded.

“Yeah.  He’s crazy about you.  I could see that when we were beards for each other.  He always denied it of course, but he could never take his eyes off you.”

“What the hell happened between you two?” Mercedes spun in her seat and leaned against the passenger side door.

“How far back do you need me to go with this?” Kurt smiled to himself when he asked.

“How far back does it go?” Brittany leaned up and asked him.

“Pretty far back,” Kurt admitted. “He kissed me before I transferred to Dalton.”

“ _What_?” Mercedes shrieked, and Kurt cringed at the sound.

“He kissed me.  That’s how I found out about him.”

He really didn’t want to rehash everything that had ever happened between them.  But he ran through some details about the almost outing on the stairs, the threat, the discussion they’d had the previous year when David apologized, and the more recent discussions.  And when he admitted that David had been his secret admirer, the girls, minus Santana, squealed.

“So he stole you from Blaine?” Santana smirked.

“Well, I broke up with Blaine for other reasons.  And I was just going to be friends with David at first, but he’s kind of amazing.  And it’s hard to keep my distance from him.”

“We can see that,” Brittany smiled and patted him on the shoulder before sitting back into Santana’s arms again.

The girls chatted through the drive to Kurt’s house, but he just focused on getting them home.  He answered random questions for them, but his thoughts were on David.

“Hey, maybe Blaine should date that new guy in school,” Brittany brought up somewhat randomly.  Nobody else in the car was talking about Blaine at all, and they hadn’t been talking about Chandler either.  But nobody could really follow most of Britt’s thought patterns anyway.

“Is he gay?  I haven’t met him,” Kurt admitted when he pulled into the driveway.

“Well, he’s been checking out Sam recently.  And Finn said something about Sam coming out as bisexual,” Rachel added.

Of course Finn did.  He was an expert at outing people to others without their consent.  He’d done it to Santana already.

“If it’s true about Sam, Finn had no business telling you, Rachel,” Kurt slammed his door shut.

Kurt looked over at Mercedes, who was noticeably irritated.  He wondered what was going through her head.  He couldn’t imagine someone he’d dated abruptly confessing to being straight, so he couldn’t imagine what she would go through over that. 

“Is it true?” Santana asked.  “Because that does explain some things from when we dated.”

“You’ll have to ask him.”

“Is he here?”

“I don’t know.  He was riding with Finn today, and you girls didn’t give me a chance to talk to him after the extra practice.”

The girls invaded his house, and his dad smiled fondly at them.  Brittany immediately ran to him and gave him a hug.

“Hello sweetie.  I haven’t seen you in a long time,” Burt said to her.

“I’ve missed you,” Brittany squealed. 

“We’ve missed you too sweetie.  We’ll never forget Kurt’s first girlfriend,” Burt smiled down at her.

“Dad,” Kurt smirked. 

“Am I lying?” Burt shrugged at him. 

 On the way up the stairs, they heard shouting coming from Finn’s room. 

“How could you do this?  You’re going out with him?  After everything he’s done?” Finn shouted.

And here it was.  He’d wondering when this would be coming. 

“It’s none of your fucking business who I go out with Finn!” Sam shouted back. 

“What’s going on up there?” Burt yelled up the stairs.

“Nothing, Dad.  I’ll handle it,” Kurt called back.

“I guess that answers my question about the bisexuality,” Rachel muttered. 

Kurt stopped on the stairs and looked at Mercedes, who he could tell really did not want to hear this argument.  Her issues with Sam must have been more significant that he’d thought.  He’d been angry with her for acting as if she was playing with Sam, but maybe she hadn’t.  Because she looked like she wanted to vomit.

“You okay?” He stopped her with his hand.  “Do you want one of us to take you home?”

Mercedes shook her head no, and she went on into Kurt’s bedroom.

“You can’t date him Sam.  What about Mercedes?”

“Mercedes dumped _me_ , Finn.  She wants Shane.  And I’ve moved on.  I like him,” Sam’s voice had quieted some.

Kurt didn’t bother knocking on the door.  He opened it slowly, expecting to see some sort of carnage.  He nodded his head for the rest of the girls to leave, to head on into his room. 

“Stop,” Kurt said quietly.  “Mercedes is in my room right now.  This is not a good time.” 

Sam cringed and he quieted suddenly.

“And you, Finn.  Back off.  It wasn’t your business to get involved with Sam was trying to get Quinn to date him. And it’s not your business now.”

Finn turned to him, “But he wants to date Sebastian Smythe!”

“I know that,” Kurt crossed his arms in front of him.  “Contrary to what you might think, it’s nobody else’s business but Sam’s and Sebastian’s.  How would you feel if Sam was trying to stop you from being with Rachel?”

“That’s different.”

“How?  Because we’re competitors?  Or because it’s a same-sex relationship? I can understand you hating it when Rachel dated Jesse St. James because that directly affected you.  This does _not_.  You have no business getting involved.”

“How will it look?” Finn sat down.

“It doesn’t matter how it will look,” Sam shouted but Kurt glared at him to keep his voice down.

“Finn, you need to stop.  You need to learn the meaning of the word _no_ , if you will, because clearly you have problems with it.” Kurt smirked.  “When someone tells you that something is none of your business, then you need to accept it and move on.  Sam can date whoever he wants.  He can _sing_ with whoever he wants.  And you need to get the fuck over it.” 

Kurt flashed a look at Sam.  “The rest is up to you, Sam.”

Sam smiled at him in gratitude.  “I’m going downstairs.  Sebastian is coming to pick me up later.”

Kurt grinned at him, “Really?  Details later?”

“Later,” Sam fist bumped him and headed down the stairs.

Kurt went downstairs to get drinks and snacks for the girls before he returned to his room.  When he got there, Mercedes was looking out the window sadly.  Kurt stood next to her.

“Do you think that if I had done things differently, that this wouldn’t have happened?”

“Actually no.  I think he’s finally able to come out here because he’s really interested in Sebastian.  I think Sebastian would have been an issue no matter what,” Kurt put his arm around her and squeezed. 

She’d been his friend forever, and although he was still angry with her for classifying him as someone who wasn’t as good as she was and held her back, he would wait patiently for her to figure it out.  She was already going through enough.

He had his own issues about Sam suddenly confessing his bisexuality, and he’d never dated Sam.  So he couldn’t imagine how the girls who had dated him were feeling about it.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” Mercedes added with a sad smile.

“Sorry, sweetie.  But it’s the truth.  Now come on and sit with me.”

“Kurt, Quinn, Tina and Sugar are here,” his dad yelled from downstairs. 

“Come on up,” he shouted back.

Quinn came straight to Kurt when she entered the room, “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said those things.  You were right. I was mad because of what he’d done to me when I got pregnant.  I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.”

Kurt hugged her and smiled, “It’s okay.  He and I knew there would be some residual resentment of him being around.  But you should give him a chance.”

“I will,” Quinn smiled and went to pile up on Kurt’s bed alongside Mercedes. 

“How’s Beth?” Mercedes asked quietly.

“Beautiful as always.   I’m so glad I didn’t screw up the chance to get to see her.”

“Me too, sweetie,” Mercedes smiled at her.

“So Prancy, we need deets,” Santana sprawled over the foot of Kurt’s bed and looked up at him.  “What did Hobbit do that made you break up with him?”

“Okay, things haven’t been wonderful with Blaine the entire time I’ve been with him, in case you didn’t know that,” Kurt sat in the floor and leaned his head back against the dresser. 

Brittany looked down at him and smiled, and then she moved to join him on the floor.

“He’s always been oblivious you know.  I mean look at the Rachel kiss thing,” Kurt gestured to Rachel, who flushed with embarrassment. 

“I told him how I felt about him, and he said he felt nothing for me but friendship, despite knowing me for quite a while.  One drunken kiss with Rachel, no offense sweetie, and he was ready to date her.  It made me angry.  What was wrong with me?  I knew he never thought I was sexy, but for him to be gay but prefer to date a girl was a bit much for me to handle.”

“He didn’t think you were sexy?  Is he blind?” Santana glared down at him. 

“He said that to you?” Rachel sat up.  “Really?  And I made it worse didn’t I?  With that comment about getting a boyfriend out of it.”

“Honestly, yes you did make it worse.  He said I wasn’t sexy, and then later on, he kissed you.  That bothered me.  But it wasn’t the only thing he’s done.”

“What else?” Rachel asked.

“Well, you remember that thing you and he talked about regarding West Side Story?”

Rachel grimaced, but she nodded.  “It was stupid.”

“What thing?” Brittany asked Rachel.

Rachel looked uncomfortable about the possibility that they were going to discuss it. 

“I’ll explain it in a minute.  Rachel isn’t exactly proud of it.  Blaine was never really interested in sex.  He wouldn’t really touch me most of the time, and we talked about it a lot.  He said he wanted to wait for me to be comfortable.  But even when I wanted to discuss it, he still wasn’t interested.  And since I’ve known forever that he didn’t think I was sexy, I just figured it was me.  But then why was he with me if he didn’t want me, you know?” Kurt asked nobody in particular.

“Aww dolphin, I’ll make out with you if you want.  I’ll make Sanny let me,” Britt grinned and hugged him.

Santana glared, but her gaze softened when she looked at Brittany. 

“Thanks, boo.  But that’s okay.  I have David now,” Kurt smiled.

And David most certainly wanted Kurt.  He didn’t doubt that at all.

“So what does this have to do with Rachel?” Santana interrupted.

“Well, I’ll get to that.  All of a sudden, Blaine went from not caring whether we had sex at all to all of a sudden being interested.  And during this time, it didn’t help that his attitude about it changed after he met Sebastian.  That didn’t go over well with me.  The three of us went to Scandal’s the night before the play opened, and Blaine got drunk.  He danced with Sebastian all night, but when we left, he tried to get me to have sex with him in the backseat of my car.  And he really didn’t want to take no for an answer.”

“What happened?” Santana sat up abruptly. 

“He wasn’t successful, let’s put it that way.  But it took a lot of yelling on my part.  We fought, and then he walked home.  And we didn’t talk again until after opening night.”

“You didn’t talk until after opening night?” Rachel asked quietly. 

“No, I was still angry.  I wanted to know how he went from being someone who could barely tolerate touching me while sober to someone who wouldn’t listen to the word no when drunk.”

“What the hell?” Santana said disgustedly.

“Satan, I know now why he did it.  He didn’t even have the decency to tell me, but Rachel did,” Kurt gestured to the girl.

“What do you mean he didn’t tell you?” Rachel sat up quickly.

“I mean, that I didn’t know about it until you told me weeks later,” Kurt replied.

“What are you two talking about?” Tina glanced back and forth between them. 

“Do you want to tell them, or should I?” Kurt asked Rachel quietly.

“You do it.”

“Rachel and Blaine apparently talked about the fact that being virgins would make them less realistic performers in the play.  So they made a sort of bond that they would lose their virginities by opening night.”

The girls, even Santana, who had fewer morals than anyone else in the room when it came to sex, looked disgusted by it.  And they all turned those glares on Rachel.

“You know how I am.  I’ll do anything to improve my performance!  I actually thought it was a good idea.  And Finn already wanted to have sex with me.  But he and I argued about it, and he refused to have sex with me.  And then it just went downhill from there.”

“Berry, that’s idiotic even for you,” Santana sneered.

“Well, Blaine and I talked about it before we went on stage opening night, and we both said we were disappointed that we hadn’t managed to lose our virginities, but then we talked about thinking of our soul mates during the performance, and I thought he was going to talk to Kurt about it.  So when I brought it up a few weeks later to Kurt, I thought he already knew about it!” Rachel rambled on defensively.

“Rachel, repeat what you just said. The part about what you talked about before you went on stage.” Kurt stood, anger rising quickly inside him.

“We talked about being disappointed that we’d failed each other at losing our virginities.  Oh my god, that’s really bad isn’t it.  Talking about our sex lives like that,” Rachel put her hand over her mouth.

“So now you’re getting it,” Mercedes snarked at her.

“Rachel, do you mean to tell me that he actually said he was _disappointed_ that he had _failed_ you because he hadn’t managed to force himself on me in the car?  Please tell me you’re remembering that wrong.” Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Well, it was a long time ago, but I know we talked about being disappointed and then we talked about using the fact that we’d met our soul mates as acting inspiration,” Rachel squirmed under Kurt’s glare.

“You are seriously crazy,” Santana looked at her in shock.

“So it wasn’t bad enough that he made the pact in the first place, everything he said to me after opening night was bullshit.”

 _You were right, Kurt_.  _Our first time shouldn’t be like that.  I was drunk, and I’m sorry._

And he’d apologized to _Rachel_ for not losing his virginity _before_ he even apologized to Kurt for being a handsy drunken asshole. 

“It’s bad enough that he tried to force me in the backseat of my own fucking car.  He apologized to you _first_.  For _failing_.  And he was _sorrier_ for still being a virgin than he was for trying to force me.”

“Okay, but why are you mad about it _now_?” Rachel asked.

He returned a glare that made her cringe. 

“Because I gave in and had sex with him the next night based on his so-called _apology_ , Rachel.  The one that he apparently didn’t even mean.”


	26. Chapter 26

Kurt headed for David’s house as soon as the girls left.  He dropped Brittany and Santana off, and the other girls drove off in Quinn’s car.

He texted to David quickly to make sure it would be okay to come over unannounced, and the reply from him was ‘ _of course_.’  Kurt didn’t want to go running to David with another incident about Blaine’s behavior, but David seemed to be his rock throughout all this craziness.  Which was crazy since Kurt should be _his_ rock at the moment.

Of course, if he listened to Carole, they were supposed to be each other’s rock.

He pulled into David’s driveway, and he ran up to the door to ring the bell.  Lena answered, and she grabbed him around the waist in a hug.

“Hey Kurt!  Come in.  Dave’s in his room,” she bounced up and down on her feet as she talked.  “Mom and Dad will be home in a little while.”

“Hey sweetie.  How’s Luke?”

“Out of the picture,” she muttered.  “I’ve moved on to Brian now.”

“And is this Brian nice to you?” Kurt frowned down at her slightly.

“Yes.  Nicer than Luke.  He’s kind of a dork though,” Lena frowned.

“Dorks can be some of the sweetest guys though,” Kurt smiled down at her.  “Give him a chance, sweetie.”

“I will,” she replied before she shot back up the stairs with an ever-present energy he had to admire.

Kurt climbed the stairs to David’s room and knocked gently on the door. 

“Come in Fancy,” David called from the other side. 

“Hey, there,” Kurt smiled when he crossed the threshold.  “What are you doing?”

David crossed the room and pressed a kiss to his mouth, “Waiting on you to get here.”  He pulled Kurt towards him and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist.  “You okay?”

“Yeah.  Better now though,” Kurt smiled and slid his arms around David’s neck.

“What’s the matter?” David frowned at him.

“I found out something else about Blaine, and I was angry about it before I came here.  But now, I don’t even want to talk about it.  I just want to snuggle with you somewhere and talk.  Can we do that?” Kurt asked quietly.

“Of course, come here.” David led Kurt to the bed, and they lay down on it, fully clothed and with the blankets made up as they’d been before David had gotten home.

Kurt put his head on David’s shoulder, and David’s hand was stroking lightly over his back.  “Thank you,” Kurt whispered.

“You’re welcome.  You going to tell me now?” David’s voice was patient and affectionate.

“I don’t want to be mad anymore.  I’m tired of being angry, and I’m tired of something always happening that throws me back into turmoil again.”  Kurt laid his hand over David’s chest and sighed.

“What is it?”

“You’re going to be mad,” Kurt warned.

“I’m always mad at him.  That’s not gonna change, Fancy.”

“Remember the car thing?” Kurt heard David’s sharp intake of breath. 

“Yes, I remember.”

“We didn’t talk after it until after opening night.  But I just found out that he apologized to Rachel for _failing her_ in his attempt to lose his virginity that night.  Before he even attempted to apologize to me.  And his apology to me was pathetic.” 

Kurt felt David’s embrace tighten around him. 

“Why was I so stupid, David?” Kurt felt tears beginning to fall.

“You weren’t stupid.  You’ve never been stupid, Fancy.”

Kurt didn’t argue back, although he very much disagreed.

“Every time I think about it, I get furious.  And it’s not being fair to you.  I can’t stop being angry about it.  About him.  When will it stop?  I want to not be angry anymore, so I can focus on us.”

“I don’t know, Fancy.  But I’m very patient.  I mean, God.  Look how long I’ve already waited for you.  I’ll wait much longer as long as I’m with you.”

“I feel like I’m always being unfair to you.”  Kurt brushed his hand over David’s chest.  “I’m not ready to go further in this relationship, even though I really want to.  And I don’t mean I’m breaking up with you.  I mean the sex part.  I’m really attracted to you, and I really _want_ you, but I’m so messed up from everything that’s happened in the past year.”

“And there’s no way I’m going to push you.  I’ve seen you, remember.  I’ve watched what you’ve gone through, and I’ve put you through a lot of it myself.  And I blame myself for you ending up with Blaine,” David rolled his head towards Kurt and looked down at him.

“Why?”

“If I hadn’t driven you away, maybe you wouldn’t have gone through what you did with him.”

“David Karofsky, that’s ridiculous.  You may have done things that made me decide to transfer, but you did not force me into a stupid relationship with him.”

“Still.  I’m the reason you were there.”

Kurt leaned over and kissed him.  “And then you were the reason I left.  Remember?  You brought me back, granted it was the whole Bully Whips thing, but it was still the reason I came back.”

“I think I would have done anything to get you to come back.  But also, I think I was happy with you gone, because I couldn’t hurt you anymore.”

“Don’t think like that.  You were also one of the reasons for me breaking up with him, too.  Because you made me realize how much I was selling myself short.”

“Okay, I give.”

“Thank you.”

“Wanna come help me make dinner?  It’s my turn tonight.”  David smiled at him.

“You can cook?  This is very good news,” Kurt laughed.

“Because I can actually keep you alive you mean?”

“Because Carole says I need a few more pounds on me, and I’ve consistently avoided gaining them in protest.  I’ll just tell her it’s your project now, and then she’ll leave me alone.”

“You _do_ need more weight.  You’re like a feather, Fancy.”

“But I can fit in these jeans,” Kurt reminded.

“And it won’t matter in a few months whether you can fit in them or not.  Cause they’ll be staying on my bedroom floor.”

Kurt laughed and slapped at him.  “You’re officially a pervert.”

David wiggled his eyebrows at him, and they went downstairs to start dinner.  Well, David went to start dinner, because Lena ambushed Kurt as soon as he got into the living room about helping her with her homework.

He tried arguing that David would probably be the better option but she disagreed.

“He’s annoying.  Therefore he cannot possibly be a better tutor,” Lena replied.

David snorted from the stove, where he had pasta cooking. 

Kurt and Lena had decided on the kitchen table for her tutoring, and Kurt smiled at his snort. 

“I’m not sure how to follow that reasoning, sweetie.”

“It’s simple.  He’s annoying.  He annoys me when he’s right.  And he’s right when he tutors me.  Therefore I cannot handle him tutoring me without wanting to hit him.”  Lena waved her hand at Kurt as if he should have already reached this conclusion.

“Sounds legit,” David muttered from the stove.

“David,” Kurt laughed. 

“She _does_ hit me when I try,” David replied as he poured the pasta into a colander. 

Kurt watched David out of the corner of his eye as he helped Lena with her math homework.  This math he could do, but he would never be able to help her if she was in anything like David was in. 

He watched as David pulled out his phone, checked the incoming text message, and smiled.  David looked up and met his gaze.  “It’s Casey.  She’s been talking to me more.”

Kurt nodded. “That’s good.  Have you heard from anybody else there?”

“Not really,” David shrugged. “It’s okay.  I kind of kept my distance from everyone on purpose.  Casey was the only person I could talk to, but she never knew the truth before the attack.”

David turned back to the stove and stirred the alfredo sauce.  Kurt got up, whispered to Lena that he’d be right back, and he walked over to David. 

“Hey,” Kurt wrapped his arm around David’s waist and smiled at him.  “You don’t have to do that kind of stuff anymore.”

David bent down to peck his lips.  “I know.  I’m trying to let her in more.  It’s just hard.”

“I know.”

“If you want time to hang out with her, just tell me and I’ll make myself scarce.”

“Fancy, I’d never choose Casey over you,” David grinned.  “If she’s invited, you’re invited.”

Kurt smiled and nodded at Lena, working studiously at the table.  “She’s working on something for me to check when she’s finished.  Can I help while she’s finishing?”

“Sure, we need a salad.”

“Oh, I’m good at salads.  Can I raid the fridge?”

“Yes, you can.”

Kurt felt very domestic with David.  Whenever Kurt would visit Blaine’s house, he’d pretty much been contained to Blaine’s bedroom, because of the other family members.  It felt nice to be somewhere he didn’t have to be hidden.  He could actually be formally introduced to all the members of the family.  Which is actually ironic since David was the one formerly in the closet.  Blaine had been so-called out and proud, but Kurt had had to be sneaked into the house.

Kurt checked out the fridge, and found fresh lettuce and various salad vegetables.  Then he started working on preparing his favorite salad.  “Can I use anything I want in here or is some of this being saved for something special?”

“No.  Use whatever you want, Fancy.”

“No strange allergies for anybody?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, then I’m adding these almonds and strawberries.”

“Strawberries?” David looked intrigued.

“Trust me,” Kurt smiled.  “I need pantry stuff too.  So I can make some salad dressing.”

“You can make salad dressing?”

“Of course, and it’s much better than bottled.”

David leaned against the edge of the counter while the pasta finished cooking.  Kurt looked back at Lena, “Yell when you’re done, sweetie.”

“This is so weird.”

“What is?” Kurt smiled as he began chopping strawberries into small pieces.

“You being here with me.”

“Weird good, though, right?”

“Very weird good,” David turned off the burner under the pasta, and he walked over to Kurt.  “I would have never guessed a few weeks ago that you’d be standing in my kitchen with me and helping me cook dinner,” he added quietly.

“Me neither, honestly.  But I’m very happy to be here.  I’m not going to get kicked out after I help with dinner though, right?”

David glanced over at Lena, and then he cupped his hands around Kurt’s face and kissed him.  “I’m not kicking you out ever.”

“Good, because I kind of told my dad before I left my house that I was staying here for a while.”

David laughed, “He okay with that?”

“Yeah.  And he wants you to come over for dinner this week.  He and Carole want to get to know you.  And know us.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.  Now, stop distracting me so I can make the salad dressing?” Kurt grinned as he investigated the pantry for the supplies.  “Next time you have salad, I’ll make you some homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.  Even my dad is crazy about it, and it’s healthier than the bottled version.  This salad needs vinaigrette though.”

“You can make buttermilk ranch?  That’s my favorite.”

“I guess you got lucky didn’t you?” Kurt smirked as he used his hip to close the pantry door.

“In more ways than one,” David murmured, almost too low for Kurt to hear him.

“I’m done, Kurt,” Lena called from the table. 

“Let me finish this dressing, and I’ll come check it for you.”

“Why don’t you take a break, sis?  You can finish later,” David told her. 

And she took that opportunity to use her never-ending energy to bound out of the kitchen.  

Kurt laughed at her as he watched her leave, and then he turned to find David very close.  “Oh, hi.”

“Hi.” David took the salad dressing items out of Kurt’s hands, and then he rested his on Kurt’s hips to pull him close.  “I consider myself very lucky.”

“Is this why you told her to take a break?” Kurt whispered.

“Yep.” David leaned over and kissed his jawline slowly.

“David,” Kurt murmured.

“I’m not pressuring.  I just want to kiss you.  I’ve waited so long to actually be allowed to just touch you like this.  I can’t just stand there and not touch you.”

“I wasn’t accusing you,” Kurt giggled when David’s mouth pulled at his earlobe.  “David.”

David stopped and pulled back.  “Yeah?”

“In the choir room.  That was intense,” Kurt reached up and stroked David’s face with his fingers.

“I was scared.”

“I know.  It was very intense.  That’s what the girls were grilling me about.”

David smiled.  “What did you tell them?”

“I didn’t have to tell them anything.  They could tell how you feel about me by the look on your face.  You did more to convince them in that one moment than I did in every argument I’ve tried.  None of them are going to bother you about us anymore.  Not even threats against you if you hurt me.”

“I’m done with hurting people.  And nobody is going to touch you again,” David whispered.

“Okay,” Kurt breathed. 

And he believed him.  The power of David’s expression was a little disconcerting.  He’d never had anybody look at him the way David Karofsky did. 

Had David looked at him this way back then?  Back before the stupid threats and the bullying?  If he had, then how the hell had Kurt missed it? 

David began kissing him again, and Kurt could do nothing but hold on to David’s biceps to steady himself.  David’s mouth was extremely talented for a guy who hadn’t kissed very often.  David, it seemed, had quite a bit of repressed passion for Kurt that he was just recently getting the chance to let out in a very Kurt-approved manner.

Kurt moaned into his mouth, and he kissed back heatedly.  He was just getting his bearings, and not just letting David take control, when a sharp clearing of a throat sounded behind David.

David let go of him and they both looked over to find his father standing, looking very entertained.    

“Well, I wondered how long that would take,” Paul Karofsky smirked as he stopped at the fridge and got out a beer. 

“Dad,” David was flushed and obviously embarrassed.  And the sight was just adorable.  “You’re a little early.”

“Yes, I am.  I thought about calling ahead, but I’m glad I didn’t.  This was too amusing.”

Kurt leaned against David’s arm and giggled. “Oh my god.”

“I thought there was a good reason for Kurt to be on your bed in the hospital.”

“Dad!” David shouted.

“That sounded better in my head,” Paul laughed.  “I didn’t mean it like that, son.  You two seem like very close…friends.  I believe that was the word you used, wasn’t it, David?”

“Dad, stop embarrassing me.”

“All I’m saying is that you said you two were friends.  Then we find him with you in your hospital bed.  And now, you’re compromising each other in the kitchen.  I’m not sure friends do that.”

“Kill me now,” David muttered.

Kurt slapped him on the arm.  “I didn’t like that expression any better the first time I heard it.”

“Oh, I always knew I liked you Kurt,” Paul laughed and took a drink of his beer.

“Feeling’s mutual, Mr. Karofsky,” Kurt replied.

“Suck up,” David muttered under his breath, and Kurt smacked him again.

David rubbed his shoulder, “I thought you were non-violent.”

“I am, sweetie.” Kurt smirked at him.

“Could have fooled me.”

“Now, can I trust that you won’t get so distracted that you let dinner burn?” Paul grinned broadly at David when he spoke.

“Dad.  Seriously.  Go away.” David smiled sweetly.

“I’m going.  But I’m telling your mother what I saw.”

Kurt laughed when David’s shoulders dropped in defeat.  He held out his arms for David, and the taller boy allowed Kurt to hug him, and Kurt patted his back to soothe him.  “Shh.  It’s okay.  The big bad embarrassing parent is gone now.”

“Shut up,” David snorted.

“Let’s finish dinner before he comes back in here,” Kurt laughed.

They worked steadily for the next twenty minutes, but David was adorable each time he’d stop to kiss Kurt.  He’d glance at the door briefly, to make sure his father wasn’t standing there again, and then he’d drop a kiss quickly before going back to the task at hand.

Kurt smiled at the entire surreal experience. 

He was _welcome_ here.  He was _happy_ here.  He wasn’t nervous that he’d be found in the house, and he wasn’t scared to show affection to David.  It made for a very enlightening experience.  

Olivia Karofsky came into the kitchen while Kurt was setting the table. 

“Hello, dear.” Olivia hugged him briefly and patted his cheek.  “What’s this I hear about two teenage boys making out in my kitchen?”

 


	27. Chapter 27

“I swear to God,” David moaned, and he glared at Kurt’s laugh.  “We were not making out Mom.”

“That’s not what your father said.”  Olivia Karofsky laughed.

Kurt snorted and turned away. 

“You are not helping, Hummel,” David glared again. 

“So it’s Hummel now?  A few minutes ago, you had your tongue down my throat, but now I’m Hummel?” Kurt smirked.

Olivia snorted violently and covered her mouth to hide her laughter.   

“Kurt!”

“David!” Kurt mocked and put his hands on his hips. 

“Oh God, Kurt.  I adore you,” Olivia patted his cheek affectionately.  “Please come here more often.  You are so good for him.”

“I do try.  He makes it difficult though.”

“Well, we all have our lots in life dear.  You’ll have to muddle through I suppose.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be worth all the effort.  He is very attractive, you know.”

Olivia turned, considering her son thoughtfully.  “You are right.  He is quite a handsome man, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Kurt nodded. “He’s sweet and charming too.  Remind me to tell you about the song later.”

“Kurt!” David warned. 

He was not going to show off that stupid CD David had made him, with him singing the Nsync song.  David would break into Kurt’s house and steal the damn thing before that could happen.

“What song?” Olivia replied, clearly intrigued.

“It was beautiful.  He sang for me,” Kurt sighed and leaned against her, and they sighed again, together. 

David shook his head.  This was a fucking nightmare.  His family already thought Kurt was the be all and end all of sonhood, and if he didn’t stop being so fucking charming, David would be forced to do something drastic. 

He ignored that little flare of arousal and pleasure that hit him when Kurt had called him attractive, sweet and charming. 

“Aww. How sweet,” Olivia replied. 

“Kurt, I’m going to _kill_ you.” David ground out. 

And then he stopped, realizing what he said.  He glanced at his mother, and her expression was wary and full of concern for both of them.  David looked away quickly, purposely avoiding Kurt. 

 _Fuck_. 

He’d managed to get to the point where he could be completely comfortable talking to Kurt about anything, and now he’d gone and blown it. 

“ _Bitch, please_.  As if you could take _me_ ,” Kurt said softly.  “I’m stronger than I look, so don’t push me Karofsky.”

All the air released from David’s lungs, and he finally looked up at Kurt. 

And Kurt didn’t look scared, or freaked out.  Or mad.  He just looked concerned for David. 

“Don’t push me, Hummel,” David replied automatically.  He’d gotten so used to bantering back and forth with that old threat, that it had come out of his mouth unthinkingly. 

“Come here,” Kurt gestured for David to come closer, and his mother stopped to kiss his cheek before she walked away. 

“I’ll be in the living room.  You two finish so we can eat, okay?” 

David nodded at her as she left. 

“I said come here,” Kurt reminded.

David stepped closer, and he allowed Kurt to hold him.  “I’m sorry I said that.”

“Stop.  It’s an expression.  Nearly everybody uses it at some point.  It doesn’t mean anything at this moment.” Kurt wrapped his arms around David’s neck and he pressed a noisy kiss to his mouth.

“But I shouldn’t be saying that at all.”

“Because you shouldn’t be a normal human you mean?”

“No, because of what I did before,” David replied.

“Oh, that.  You mean because you threatened to attack half of a hockey team and beat them half to death simply because they touched me?”

“Kurt,” David warned.

“Oh, you’re thinking about a different day.  How about the day you wanted to hunt Blaine down and beat him because I was crying?”

“Kurt, you know what I’m talking about.”

“No, I don’t think I do,” Kurt replied and tapped his chin with one finger.

“You know good and well what I’m talking about, Kurt.  I mean the day I threatened you.”

“Now, why would I automatically know what you were talking about?” Kurt asked softly.

“Dammit Kurt.  Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not being ridiculous.  It wasn’t _you_ who did that to me,” Kurt shrugged.

“What is wrong with you?” David was beginning to get very confused.

Kurt put his hands on either side of David’s face. 

“That _Karofsky_ guy did that, and I’m fairly certain he didn’t mean that at all.  I’m pretty sure he was scared shitless because two guys, one he was crazy about and one he didn’t even know, ambushed him on the stairs and came close to outing him.  And that Karofsky guy decided that scaring that Hummel guy was probably the best method of shutting him up.  I’m not saying that Hummel guy deserved being threatened.   I’m saying that Hummel guy _understands_ now why that Karofsky guy did that, even if he doesn’t agree with the methods.  That Hummel guy has never been in a position to lose _everything_ if people found out he was gay, because let’s face it.  That Hummel guy’s always been pretty out there, you know.” Kurt shrugged and smiled at him.

David snorted and leaned in to kiss Kurt.  “Why are you referring to _yourself_ in third person?”

“It’s for dramatic effect, David.  For the love of… _just listen okay_?  It’s hard enough to say something to you without you misinterpreting it.  Goodness knows I slip and say stupid things, and it’s okay for you to do it too.  My point, which you’ve ruined by interfering with my dramatic monologue, is that _Karofsky_ did those things.  Not _David_.   _David_ would never hurt me, and I know it even if you don’t.  Nobody could watch the way you looked at me in the choir room, and earlier, when you said you’d never let anybody touch me again, and believe that you’d ever do anything to harm me.”

David blew out a nervous breath.  “I’m still sorry I said it.”

“Fine, be sorry about it.  But don’t dwell on it.  I don’t think you’re ever going to hurt me, especially not physically.”

“Well, that’s good.  All I’ve ever wanted was for you to trust me.”

“That’s _all_ you’ve wanted?” Kurt’s eyebrow lifted.

“Well, not _all,_ ” David blushed. 

“Really?” Kurt smirked at him.

 “Kurt, you know that’s not all.”

“Well, it’s too bad we have to finish dinner, or I’d let you show me some of those things,” Kurt winked and turned back to the stove.

David blushed and he pulled Kurt closer to him.  “Do you have any idea how crazy I am about you?”

Kurt winked at him and smiled, “I think I do.  And I’m pretty crazy about you too.  So let’s get dinner over with so we can go make out in your room before I have to go home.”

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

If fixing dinner had been embarrassing thanks to his mother and father, then actually eating it had been a higher form of torture.  Kurt was in his element, charming both his parents, and keeping his sister enamored with him.  He was pretty sure his parents were now willing to give him up for adoption and steal Kurt away from the Hummel-Hudson family. 

It didn’t help that Fancy was so fucking sexy when he was confident and smiling.  He’d glance at David every now and then, and David was pretty sure that his own expression mirrored his family’s. 

Except for the whole David couldn’t wait to get Fancy alone thing, which was pretty much just all him.

Kurt would smile at him when his father brought up something embarrassing, and David would just melt.  He was in a free-fall around Kurt Hummel, and he was pretty sure he didn’t actually want a parachute. 

It was kind of overwhelming actually. 

Having Kurt here, with him.  With his family. 

After everything David had put him through, Kurt was not only willing to give him a chance, Kurt himself seemed to look forward to seeing that chance through to wherever it would lead. 

David was willing to take whatever Kurt would allow him to have.  Kurt would be going off to New York soon, and David was sure that Kurt would be in New York no matter what school accepted him.  David could handle that.  New York was much more accepting, and it could be a place where he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable every damn day of his life. 

Although, that was getting better. Now. 

It was almost as if Nick and the others had done him a twisted favor by forcing him out of the closet.  Because everything that had happened to him since had been positive. 

Granted, Fancy had come back into his life prior to actually getting outed, and that had been the sweetest part to come out of Valentine’s Day.  Fancy had agreed to give him a chance even while David was still firmly in the closet. 

Azimio had come back into his life.  He had to give Az credit for going against his parents and choosing to be there for David anyway.

Casey was an even better friend to him now than she’d been before.  Granted, they didn’t get to spend much time together now because they were at different schools.  But she kept in touch by text.  And one weekend, he’d get her and Kurt together so they could bond and join sides against him again.  Like they’d done in the hospital. 

Kurt had grinned and talked animatedly during dinner, and it was a different Fancy than the one he’d seen falling apart the past few days.  This Fancy was confident and smart-assed again.  This was the old Fancy that used to yell in his face in sophomore year every time he acted like an asshole. 

He often wondered what would have happened between them if he’d just talked to Kurt.  Like that day Kurt had shown up in the most awful Lady Gaga costume, and David and Az had threatened him. 

When all he’d really wanted to do was take the stupid outfit off him somewhere in a secluded empty classroom.  He should have known then what he was getting himself in to.  And if he had said something to Fancy then, would he have pushed him away like he had in the locker room? 

David shook his head to get rid of more of those should-have-been kind of thoughts.  It didn’t matter what Kurt would have done then because David hadn’t done any of those things.

And it shouldn’t matter anymore anyway, because Kurt was here, with him.  Having dinner with his family.  And some day soon, David would be going over to have dinner at Kurt’s, where he would be introduced as Kurt’s boyfriend. 

And he already knew that Mr. Hummel was okay with him.  Mrs. Hummel had always been there for him when he’d been friends with Finn long ago.

Things were better now, and Fancy was one of the main reasons. 

And he’d wait as long as he needed to wait to take their relationship where it was headed. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Despite his unspoken agreement to go slow, he was still a irritated that he’d been cockblocked by his own family. 

Kurt grinned at the scowl that David _knew_ had to be on his face.  Even though they’d been amused by the two of them making out in the kitchen, David’s father and mother had very helpfully pointed out that it probably wasn’t a good idea for him to be alone with Kurt in his room.

It was ironic, because if he and Kurt were still just friends, in front of them anyway, he’d be allowed to take Kurt upstairs without question.  If only they hadn’t walked in to the kitchen. 

His father had grinned and told him that it was for his own good.  That he wanted David to make sure that the time was right.  And that had been a very uncomfortable discussion that had come right after dinner.  And they hadn’t listened to a word he’d said when he pointed out that both of them were eighteen years old.

His mother had brought out the ‘ _under my roof_ ’ answer, and when his mother held her ground, the argument was just over.

Kurt, of course, thought his irritation was adorable. 

He’d tried to point out to them that Kurt had already made the decision that sex was off the table for quite a while until he’d gotten his break-up out of his system, but they would not be swayed.

And they’d left it to David to explain to Kurt why they couldn’t go upstairs. 

Kurt had failed to stifle his laughter, and he’d cupped David’s face in his hand. 

“Don’t feel bad, my dad will probably be the same way,” Kurt had said.

So, now they were watching a movie, in the living room.  With the parents.  With his sister.  And they couldn’t even make out because David would be damned before he’d make-out with his parents in the room. 

Kurt had been elapsing into giggles every few minutes or so, clearly still amused by his parents’ skills at cockblocking. 

David had held his hand out, and Kurt had taken it.  David stared down as Kurt began that stroking thing with his hand that had done wonders for his stress relief in the hospital. 

Unfortunately, it also turned him on, so it would end up being a problem later.  But he wasn’t about to ask Fancy to stop touching him.  David stopped watching the movie and turned his head, leaning it against the back of the sofa, and he just watched Kurt. 

Kurt was engrossed in the movie, and it didn’t look like he even realized what he was doing with his fingers.  He would smile randomly, and he’d lean over and laugh with Lena when funny dialogue came up in the plot.  David could sit and watch Kurt all night, and he’d probably be happy. 

Although, he might be _happier_ if they were doing this in his room, he had to admit.

Kurt turned to him just as he’d finished that thought, and David flushed a little at being caught staring.  He smiled at him and squeezed David’s hand gently. 

Then when Kurt started staring back at him, David began to get nervous.  Kurt had mimicked his position, leaning back against the sofa and just watching him. 

David glanced over at his parents, and then he turned back to Kurt. 

Only to find Kurt licking his fucking lips right at him. 

David smirked, but he was pretty sure he was fucked at the moment.  If Kurt was going to tease him while he was in the room with his parents, he was _definitely_ fucked.

Kurt smirked back at him, and then he bit his own lip gently, his eyes alight with mischief and with a little bit of desire. 

David closed his eyes and moaned a little, and he heard Kurt giggle to himself. 

“Stop,” David whispered. 

“Okay,” Kurt whispered back. 

He agreed just a little too quickly, and David looked over at him with suspicion.  Kurt was back to staring at the screen, but his fingers had begun teasing David’s hand, rubbing one lone finger up and down David’s hand, over and over. 

David looked back at Kurt and thought about taking his hand away, because this just wasn’t fucking fair.  But one more glance from Kurt, and he knew he couldn’t do it.  He’d stay and be tortured forever if it meant getting to touch Kurt’s skin the entire time. 

Kurt smiled over at him, and he mouthed, “I’m sorry.  I’ll be good.” 

He didn’t let go of David’s hand, but he did stop the stroking motion on his fingertips.

Yeah, Kurt would be good alright.  He’d be nothing like the word _good_ , if the make-out session in the bathroom at school was the event that his behavior was being measured against.  Kurt had smirked at him then and told him that they were supposed to be _good_ , before attacking his mouth again, and David had nearly lost his battle against throwing Kurt to the floor. 

The fact that Kurt would have freaked the fuck out at being in the floor of a school bathroom had been the deciding factor at calming David down.

This whole waiting thing was going to be hell.  He’d gone from being a closeted gay guy with no discernible prospects other than the ones available at Scandal’s, and Sebastian be damned, but he wasn’t going to go that route anytime soon. 

To this.  To Kurt Hummel.

To a very sexy boyfriend that he’d wanted for a frustratingly long time, and they were so close, and yet so far away from being ready for intimacy.  Kurt would be dealing with the rebound thing for a while, and David was just getting used to having a boyfriend. 

A boyfriend who liked to tease, dammit. 

He glanced back up at Kurt, who’d shot a quick look over at David’s parents, before turning back to David.  “You okay?” he mouthed.

David nodded, and he squeezed Kurt’s hand gently.  “I’m fine, Fancy,” he mouthed back.

Kurt leaned his head over and rested it on David’s shoulder.  “Sorry for teasing you,” he whispered.

“It’s okay,” David whispered back.  “But I’m going to get you back when we’re at your house in front of your dad.”

Kurt giggled again and said softly, “Understood.  I will totally deserve it.”

“Shhhh,” Lena smirked at them from the floor.

“Yeah, Fancy.  Shhh,” David whispered. 

“Okay.  Take her side.  Suffer the consequences.”

Oh shit.  He’d done it now.  Fancy was going to do something to get him turned on, and then he was going to leave him there, rock hard and in front of his parents, for the rest of the evening. 

“I’m sorry,” David whispered and laughed softly.  “Don’t do what I think you’re going to do.”

Kurt glared mildly, but his face was full of only joy and mock irritation, “You should not have chosen the wrong side.”

David laughed a little harder, covering his mouth and shooting a glance at his parents.  His mother glanced over and smiled briefly before returning to the movie.

“I’m sorry.  I’ll beg.  Just don’t start up again.”

“Oh, you’ll beg alright,” Kurt leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Shit.  “You’re going to either get us in trouble or tease me until I come in my pants, aren’t you?” David leaned over and whispered back, low in his ear. 

Kurt’s eyes glazed over, and he smirked. “Well now.  That thought hadn’t occurred to me until _just_ now.  Thanks for the _help_ , David.”

“You’re welcome,” David deadpanned, realizing he’d made an error in judgment.

“Oh stop,” Kurt draped his arm over David’s shoulder and bent to his ear.  “I’m not going to spend one moment telling you that sex is off the table for now and then torture you with it the next moment.  I’m not _that_ mean.”

David sat back and sighed, more relaxed now that he knew Kurt wasn’t going to arouse him to the point of humiliating himself. 

Kurt leaned over, “Just think.  Can you imagine how much frustration we’ll have by the time the waiting period is over?  How much more you’ll build up since you’ve already been waiting so long?  Can you guess which one of us will crack first?” Kurt whispered.

David leaned back and closed his eyes, grunting in frustration, and he heard Kurt’s adorable giggle next to him again.

And he quickly figured out that it wouldn’t matter when they’d finally had sex, because David wouldn’t survive the fucking waiting period anyway. 


	28. Chapter 28

David was nervous. 

He knew that he didn’t really have a valid reason for being nervous, because Mr. Hummel had told him earlier that he was welcome to the house at any time.  But this time, he’d be arriving in the official capacity as Kurt’s boyfriend.  Even though they’d made it official earlier, this felt different.

That was fucking nerve-wracking just on sheer principle.  The man could be very violent in his defense of Kurt, and David could understand that, because he was, now, also just as defensive of Kurt. 

But this was Burt Hummel. 

And Burt Hummel could get scary when you pissed him off.  David really did not want to say something stupid to piss him off, not now that he’d gotten on Mr. Hummel’s good side during his last trip to the house. 

David took a deep breath, and Kurt laughed beside him.

“Calm down,” Kurt turned to him and held his hand, and David smiled when he realized that Kurt was doing that whole stroking his fingers thing again, but he didn’t seem to be aware of it this time.

“I’m fine.  It’s just it’s your dad.”

“He’s already forgiven you.”

“I know, but what if I say something stupid.”

“You won’t.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Teach Dad all about homoneurotic undertoes.  That’ll break the ice,” Kurt giggled.

David threw his head back and laughed, “Fuck that.  He’ll decapitate me if I do that.”

“He’s not that dangerous,” Kurt denied.

David rolled his eyes at Kurt, “Yeah.  Okay.  Whatever.”

“I’m serious.  That whole throwing you against the wall thing was an isolated situation.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Come on, you big scaredy cat.”

They got out of the car and went into the house, where David was sure he was about to pass out.  He sort of knew that Mr. Hummel wouldn’t do anything to him, because he’d apologized, but there was always that slim chance that he would screw something up or say something rude.   And then it would be over.  Mr. Hummel would kill him right where he stood, and it wouldn’t even matter that he and Kurt hadn’t had sex yet. 

“You have seriously got to calm down.  You look like you’re going to faint.”

They sat down on the living room couch, and Finn walked by, high fiving him before he sat down across from them.  “Wanna watch the game with me?”

David perked up, and he turned to Kurt, who grinned and nodded his head slightly.  “Go ahead.  That would do wonders for your nerves, and it would also help with Dad.”

Kurt got up and kissed him on the cheek as he walked by on his way to the kitchen. 

Where apparently he’d found his father and sent him into the living room to watch the game.  Mr. Hummel sat down near Finn, and they also exchanged high fives before he settled into his chair. 

“So David.  How are you?”

“Good, sir.”

“That’s good.  You and Kurt getting along well?” Mr. Hummel glanced at him before turning back to the television.

“So far, yes sir.”

“You can stop with the Sir,” Mr. Hummel looked over and Finn and they smirked at each other. 

David glanced between them, wondering if they were up to something, before he turned back to the game on the television as well. 

“You know this is where we say you hurt him, and we hurt you, right?” Finn said as he stared at the game, not even gracing David with a hard intimidating stare.

“Sounds about right,” David agreed. 

“I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about you,” Mr. Hummel replied as he looked over at David.  “I think you’ve put enough energy and time into kicking your own ass over Kurt, am I right?”

David flushed a little and he looked down, “Pretty much sir.”

“That’s what I figured.  So we’ll get along just fine.  From what I heard about the latest hockey team incident, I think you’ll be one of the ones to go after people that hurt him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, then we have an understanding.  Finn, you will not threaten him without permission from me or Kurt.”

David snorted, “Um sir.  Not that I think you’ll give that order, but what about Kurt?  I’m pretty sure I’ll piss him off enough at some point that he’ll just send Finn after me for the hell of it.”

Mr. Hummel burst out laughing as Finn nodded at David’s words.  “You’re right.  You’ll have to worry about him more than you will me.”

“Got it,” David agreed with a smile.

Once David got a little more comfortable, he could get into the baseball game.  “So Reds?”

Mr. Hummel replied with something between a snort and a grunt, and Finn held a finger up to his mouth, “Shhhh.”

Uh oh. 

He may have just walked into landmine territory. 

“It’s fine Dave.  It’s just that one of my sons hates the sport completely and the other son has betrayed the entire baseball community by being a Cardinals fan.”

“Burt,” Finn groaned immediately, a sure sign that this was a frequent argument. 

Dave grinned at Finn and looked back at Mr. Hummel. 

“My dad raised me on the Reds.  We took a trip down to see them play the Pirates at home.  It was an embarrassing shut out, but Dad and I have to keep supporting them.  They’ll get their shit together eventually.”

Mr. Hummel grinned and held out a hand for a high five, which David returned happily.

Finn just stared at David, “Thanks a lot, dude.”

“So who do you like in the trades?” Mr. Hummel stuck his tongue out at Finn and turned to David.

They spent a few minutes discussing the trade options, and they spent a few minutes trashing the Cardinals, which led to a few tense moments of Finn fighting to defend his team.  David was cracking up at the intensity in which Mr. Hummel and Finn went at it.  Their quick and easy banter made it seem like this argument occurred not just at the beginning of the season, but maybe all the time.  All season long.

“Well, as long as the Yankees don’t win,” Finn threw his hands in the air in defeat. 

“There we go.  You’ll get your loyalty right one of these days,” Mr. Hummel grinned at him.

“Dad, not everybody from Ohio has to support an Ohio team,” Kurt rolled his eyes and sat down next to David.

“Don’t even bother getting into this, kid.  First of all, you know nothing about baseball, and second of all, Joey Votto is the only reason you will watch a game with me and you know it.”

“Dad!” Kurt blushed but he shrugged and grinned good naturedly.

“Really?” David turned to him with a smirk. 

“Shut up,” Kurt said under his breath.

“Who would have thought you went for jocks,” David grinned and leaned away when Kurt tried to slap his shoulder. 

“My point is that not everyone in Ohio has to be true to Ohio.  This place sucks, I'll take the Yankees any day."

“That’s not a legitimate reason to like the Yankees,” David recoiled in horror.

"I know where the stars go to watch, and that's all I need to know."

“So when we’re in New York, you’ll go to games with me as long as it’s Yankees games?” David smiled.

Kurt’s face glowed, and David blushed when he realized that he’d said ‘when’ and not ‘if.’

“Yes, yes I will,” Kurt smiled.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

“Why is there food on my plate that I can actually pronounce?” Mr. Hummel stared down at the plate in front of him. 

“Dad, don’t be dramatic,” Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at Mrs. H for back up. 

“Burt, honey, this is a special occasion.”

“This is actual meat, though,” Mr. H, which is what David planned to call him in his head until Mr. H decided he couldn’t, seemed in shock.

“Yes it is, Dad.  It’s actual meat.  Congratulations,” Kurt replied.

“Hey,” Mr. H pointed in knife at Kurt, “watch it.”

Kurt returned the comment with a defiant look, along with a smirky expression, and David had to laugh. 

“But what I want to know is why do we have meat?  Actual meat?  Not tofurkey.  Not tofu.  Not some fat-free, low calorie, anti-taste supplement that you’re trying to convince me tastes the same as steak?” Mr. H. was not giving up on this, it seemed. 

“Dad, we’re having it because David is eating with us.”

“Dude, you have got to come over more,” Finn replied before he shoveled a forkful of food into his mouth.  “If you two dating means we get to eat like this, you can come over seven days a week.”

“I agree,” Mr. H. smiled as he took a bite of his food and closed his eyes.  He moaned a little as he chewed, and David turned to find Kurt with his head buried in his hands.  

David watched as Mr. H. chewed his food reverently, and he bit back a grin. 

“Dave.  You can move in if you’d like,” Mr. H said as he swallowed.

He glanced over at Kurt, whose shoulder had begun shaking, most likely with laughter.

“Dad!”

“I’m serious.  This could be a great new start for the two of us.  Bonding over meals.”

“You don’t want a new start.  You want another reason for high fat and high calorie foods,” Kurt argued, pointing his own knife back at his father, an action very similar to Mr. H’s earlier mock threat.

Mr. H. just grinned at him and continued eating, but he winked at David. 

Dinner morphed into more baseball talk, some talk about football, and instead of finding Kurt upset that the conversation was boring, he often found Kurt smiling at him, chin resting on this hand, just watching the conversation.  Kurt’s glance would dart between his father, his stepbrother, and back to David, and he seemed to actually enjoy _not_ being a part of the conversation. 

He would have pegged Kurt for the kind who would change the conversation back to something he wanted to talk about, but he wasn’t doing that.  Of course, he could just be humoring David, and just letting the talk stay about sports, but that was cool too.

Kurt being willing to show some kind of tolerance for things he wasn’t interested in made David feel better.  Simply because he couldn’t imagine being able to really follow most of Kurt’s interests, and that was okay.  They didn’t have to love the same things in order to love each other.  

Kurt was really fucking adorable when he watched his family at dinner.  He and Mrs. H. were close, David could tell.  Not as close as she was to her own kid, of course, but he could tell by the looks that she shared with Kurt that they commiserated about how to put up with Finn and Mr. H. 

David should be worried about the way Kurt smiled at Finn, but he wasn’t.  Yes, he’d known all about Kurt’s crush on Finn in sophomore year, because it had been pretty obvious to the entire team.  But this look was different.  The looks he gave Finn now were more along the lines of Kurt smiling and accepting the fact that Finn was just a big goofball. 

He caught himself staring at Kurt a little bit, and apparently, Mrs. H. had caught him too, because she grinned at him before taking another bite of her dinner. 

David really needed to get a grip on this, or he’d looked even more whipped than he’d shown in the choir room.  He’d already gone through hell with Az over looking like an idiot when Kurt was grabbed.  He’d had to touch him, had to make sure he was fine, and nothing was going to get in his way until that was done. 

David sent one more glance over at Kurt before he dug back into his plate. 

He had plenty of time to stare at Kurt Hummel now.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox

“I thought you said your dad would do the same as my parents did?” David asked when Kurt led him to his room. 

“I did too.  But I told Carole my plan, and she got my dad to agree to this.  She already knows we aren’t going to have sex.” 

Kurt didn’t even look embarrassed about the fact that he’d discussed sex with Mrs. H.

“You talked to her about that?” David squirmed at the thought.

“Of course.  She is on my side most of the time when my dad gets overly protective.  So I’m honest with her, and she’s honest with me.  It works out better than you’d think.  In fact, I think if Finn had been more open with Carole, he wouldn’t have gotten himself into a lot of the situations he’s been in.”

David nodded.  He had a good relationship with his mother, but he couldn’t imagine sitting down and talking to her about sex with anybody, much less sex with an actual boyfriend. 

“So where are they going?”

“Carole is taking Finn and Dad to a movie.  We have at best, three hours, to be alone.   To talk.  Whatever.  I have something I want to do for you though.”

David shrugged, “Okay, go ahead.”

“You come here,” Kurt led David over to the bed and gestured for him to sit. 

“Okay,” David looked up, a little bit suspicious to be honest.

“Oh, stop.  You’re so paranoid.  I’m not going to jump you,” Kurt rolled his eyes and bent down to kiss David quickly on the mouth.  “Even though I really think you wouldn’t mind if I did,” he went on, a sing-song quality to the words.

“Shut up,” David muttered with a slight grin.

Okay, so maybe he wouldn’t be all that against getting jumped, but Kurt didn’t have to be smug about it.

“You know what really got me the night of Valentine’s Day?” Kurt sat down in his desk chair and swiveled around to face David.

“What?” David smiled at the sweet expression on Kurt’s face. 

“I’d never heard you sing before.  And the first time I ever got to hear you sing, it was a song just for me.  A love song.  Did you know I was a sucker for being serenaded before you recorded it?” Kurt sat back, folded his arms and crossed one leg over the other.

“Um no.  I didn’t realize you were a sucker for a serenade, but I figured that since you’re so music crazy, that it might work,” David was sure his face had to be pink as he answered.

“I’m really a sucker for it.  It’s kind of pitiful really, how easily I can be charmed by a song.”

“So it was just the song?” David didn’t like the sound of that. 

“No, it was the meaning of the song.  I don’t know how you knew that I was feeling like that.  Like I didn’t deserve to get something different.  That I wasn’t allowed to be selfish.  Well, I’m sure you didn’t know I felt like that.  Maybe you even meant the song to be that you were being selfish, and what was wrong with that.  I don’t even know,” Kurt held his hand up, “and I don’t want to know.  I don’t want to know if I’m wrong about my interpretation.  I’d rather just keep mine because you opened my eyes to a few things with that song.  And I don’t want them closed again.”

David smiled but he closed his mouth, which had opened to tell Kurt what he’d really meant with the song.  But he also liked the idea that Kurt had his own interpretation, and that it meant something more to him than just a pretty song.

“Okay, now that you’re listening, I want to say that this song has references to God in them.  But the song fits my message, and it fits the theme you began of singing “totally gay nsync songs.”

Kurt smirked at him, and David grinned.  He remembered asking when he recorded Selfish for Kurt if singing nsync was ‘totally gay.’

“Go on,” David smiled.

“You just sit there and listen to me.  I don’t play guitar, so you’ll have to make do.”

David nodded.

Kurt went over to his computer and pulled up iTunes, scrolling until he found the song he wanted.  David was curious to find out which song Kurt had deemed the best, since he’d made reference to God being in the song.

“Before you hit play, I thought you didn’t believe in God.”

“I don’t.  But I have sung songs with references to God before.  Strange as it seems, atheists aren’t the ones who can’t stand people using the phrases ‘ _oh God_ ’ or ‘ _oh my god_.’  They really don’t put that much importance on whether or not a song has God in it.”

“Okay, just checking,” David leaned back and braced himself with his palms on the bed behind him.

“Okay, I’m about to gay up the place with nsync here, so watch out,” Kurt grinned at him.  “Obviously, I’m changing the pronouns too.”

David nodded.

“ _So many times I thought I held it in my hands, but just like grains of sand, love slipped through my fingers.  So many nights I asked the Lord above, please make me lucky enough to find a love that lingers_.”

David smiled, not really recognizing the song, but so far loving the lyrics.

“ _Something keeps telling me that you could be my answered prayer, you must be heaven sent, I swear…cause…. Something happens when you look at me I forget to speak, something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak_ ”

David smirked at him, because this was even better than Selfish, and this one was dedicated to him.

“ _Could it be true is this what God has meant for me?  Cause baby I can't believe...that something like you could happen to me….something like you_.”

“ _Boy in your eyes I feel your fire burn, oh your secrets I will learn, even if it takes forever.  With you by my side, I can do anything, I don't care what tomorrow brings as long as we're together_.”

Kurt put his hand on his heart and smiled at Dave as he sang, “ _My heart is telling me that you could be my meant to be.  I know it more each time we touch….cause, something happens when you look at me I forget to speak, something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak.  Could it be true is this what God has meant for me?  Cause baby, I can't believe...that something like you could happen to me,”_

 _“Something magical….something spiritual….something stronger than the two of us alone.  Something physical, something undeniable…..Nothing like anything that I've ever known_ ,”

Kurt’s voice was really gorgeous, and the song was really high in some parts, which he’d handled with no problem, and it was lower in others, and the range he had was really impressive. 

His voice was perfect, David decided.  And it didn’t hurt that the song was for him.

“ _Something happens when you look at me I forget to speak.  Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak, could it be true is this what God has meant for me?  Cause, baby, I can’t believe….that something like you could happen to me_.”

Kurt let the song end, and David stood and pulled him up off the chair.  “That was beautiful.  Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  We might have a long way to go right now.  And I’m not at my best emotionally at the moment, but I wanted you to know how I feel right now.”

David leaned in and kissed him softly.  “It was perfect.  Because you sang it for me.”


End file.
